House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) called out President Biden for his lack of vitality after the pair had their first meeting since the latter took office, saying the president doesn’t have the “energy of Donald Trump.”
“But at no time, having known Joe Biden for quite some time, does he have the energy of Donald Trump. We both know it,” McCarthy said during a joint interview with GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R., La.) and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) on Fox News’ Hannity.
“Donald Trump didn’t need to sleep five hours a night and he would be engaged. If you called Donald Trump, he would get on the phone before staff would,” McCarthy added.
Trump and his allies focused heavily on Biden’s age and alleged infirmity during the 2020 campaign, often highlighting the moments where Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while speaking publicly.
At 78, Biden became the oldest president to take the oath of office when he was sworn-in in January, but he has argued that his age and decades of experience in the Senate would give him an advantage in the presidency.
Meanwhile, Trump, 74, faced similar scrutiny of his age and health.
The interview came after House Republicans voted to appoint Stefanik to the No. 3 leadership spot on Friday after ousting Representative Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) from the post earlier this week.
“I am excited about Elise Stefanik joining the leadership team because Joe Biden is not just ignoring the problems, he’s igniting them,” McCarthy said.
Host Sean Hannity asked Stefanik about criticisms that she is not conservative enough — Stefanik voted with Trump 77.7 percent of the time, while Cheney did so 92.9 percent of the time. Stefanik replied that she “agrees with all the items” that Hannity listed from the “Trump agenda.”
“We are experiencing multiple crises under President Biden and Speaker Pelosi,” she said.
“We have a border crisis, we have an economic crisis and a national security crisis in the Middle East. Republicans are going to fight on behalf of American families that are concerned about the radical direction this administration is taking us.”
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