CNN’s Van Jones Suggests Democrats are Fearful of Biden’s Potential Re-election Bid

CNN analyst and Democrat activist Van Jones said Sept. 7 that Democrats are starting “whispers” about the issue of President Joe Biden’s age in the upcoming 2024 race.

“I think a lot of these Democrats look at these [recent poll] numbers and say the ‘whispers’ [about Biden’s age] are finally showing up in this data,” Jones said in a televised interview on CNN Sept. 7. “People are talking behind their hand. They worry about Joe Biden. He is like the grandpa that you love, you believe in, you owe a lot [to], but you start to wonder. Would you give this grandpa a high-stress job for six more years, or would you want something else for him.”

A CNN/SSRS poll released Sept. 7 found that 74% say that Biden, 80, does not have “the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president,” with only 26% saying he is up for another term.

The number has increased 7 percentage points since March, when 67% of people believed he does not have those capabilities for the presidency, and from 51% in November 2019, the data showed.

The poll shows overall 61% disapproval in the way Biden is performing his duties as president, leaving him with only 39% of voters approving of his performance in the job.

According to the poll, 58% of voters say Biden’s policies have made economic conditions worse, with 55% saying they don’t think he cares about them, 72% saying he does not inspire confidence in them, and 67% saying he is not a president they feel “proud” of.

Among Democrat voters, the poll found 67% saying they want a different candidate for the party in the upcoming 2024 election, with 82% preferring “just someone besides Joe Biden,” an increase of 13 percentage points since March, according to the poll.

Almost half, or 49% of Democrats, cite Biden’s age as their biggest concern about bis 2024 candidacy, yet 86% believe it is at least “somewhat likely” Biden will be the Democrat nominee in 2024.

“[Biden’s age] is what is being talked about,” Jones said. “People are scared to come out and say anything about it, but I think it’s important for us to have this conversation now. I think this may be the bottom [of polling] for Joe Biden. He may go up if the economy improves, but right now the economy is getting better, and fears about the economy are getting worse.”