Senator Tom Carper says President Biden’s State of the Union Thursday night echoed another president seeking reelection amid questions about his age,
Carper says Biden’s speech harkens back to one he heard as a Congressman in the 1980s.
“I was reminded of Ronald Reagan," Carper says. "A lot of people said ‘oh he’s done’ but boy, he rolls right into his second term and the country rolled right along with him.”
Reagan, who secured a second term in 1984 at the age of 73, was the oldest president in history at the time. Biden and the likely GOP nominee Donald Trump both face criticism of their ages, 81 and 77.
Biden referenced his predecessor without directly mentioning his name several times.
“That was done in part to not antagonize our friends on the other side," Carper says. "Although some of our colleagues on the other side in the House, they didn’t behave all that well, so it is what it is.”
Biden says Trump seeks to “bury the truth about Jan. 6,” and “the threat to democracy must be defended.” Carper says Delawareans and people around the world alike are concerned about preserving democracy in America.
Carper says that’s why Biden also addressed the importance of foreign relations – strengthening NATO, sending aid to Ukraine and finding solutions in the Middle East.
Carper says that reminded him of Reagan too.
Biden also addressed the border crisis and the recent bill blocked by House Republicans, which Carper says he hopes they will reconsider.
“A bipartisan group of Senators put together what I think is a very thoughtful, bipartisan border bill," Carper says. "We passed it by a big margin in the Senate with Republican support. Donald Trump leaned all over Republican House members to not support, not let it see the light of day because he didn’t want Joe Biden to get a win with respect to border security.”
Carper adds Biden has room to brag about his administration’s accomplishments, such as tackling the climate crisis and creating jobs as his reelection bid begins.
