"Too Old and Mentally Unfit," Biden Targets Trump

Biden Speech at Journalists' Dinner
"Trump Bowed to Putin... I Did Not"

U.S. President Joe Biden targeted former President Donald Trump on the 16th (local time), saying, "One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president."

According to U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Associated Press (AP), President Biden attended the annual dinner hosted by the influential Washington D.C. journalists' club 'Gridiron' and said this while noting that two presidential candidates were nominated by their parties this week.

President Joe Biden of the United States.
Photo by Yonhap News

He then jokingly said, "The other one is me." President Biden is 81 years old, while former President Trump is 77.

President Biden entered the dinner hall after 7 p.m. and began his speech three hours later. Seemingly aware of the controversy over his advanced age, which is considered his biggest weakness, he joked, "It's been six hours past my bedtime," and emphasized that if there are no physical problems, one's 80s can be their prime.

In his continuing speech, Biden, recalling former President Trump again, said, "Democracy and freedom are literally under attack," and criticized, "(Russian President) Putin is marching in Europe. My predecessor bowed to him and said, 'Do whatever you want.'"

This appears to refer to the part where former President Trump last month targeted NATO allies with the 'free-rider on security' theory and said, "I would encourage them (Russia) to do whatever they want."

President Biden introduced Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., and Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia, who were present at the dinner, emphasizing, "We will not yield. They (Ukraine) will not yield, and neither will I."

Also, regarding the media repeatedly targeted by former President Trump, Biden said, "You are not the enemy of the people. You are the pillars of every free society," adding, "Great journalism is a mirror reflecting society. We need you."

More than 650 people attended the dinner, including media figures such as Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, as well as Biden administration officials including Vice President Kamala Harris and bipartisan politicians.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.