‘Cannot Have A Senior Moment’: NBC Analyst Says Voters Tell Her They’ll Watch Debate To Verify Biden’s Competency

NBC political analyst Elise Jordan said Friday that voters inform her they’ll be tuning into the upcoming presidential debate to ensure President Joe Biden is capable of serving another term.

CNN on Saturday finalized the rules and format for the 90-minute debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump, which include silencing microphones and barring a live studio audience. Jordan on “Morning Joe” said voters in Wisconsin and Michigan, including Democrats who back Biden, are feeling unease about Biden’s age and will be watching the debate to “make sure that he’s up to the task” of being president.

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'Cannot Have A Senior Moment': NBC Analyst Says Voters Tell Her They'll Watch Debate To Verify Biden's Competency pic.twitter.com/hSOuVQr3l3

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“Well, the Biden campaign needs to set the narrative early that Biden is competent and capable to lead going forward. And he absolutely cannot have a senior moment at this debate,” Jordan said.

“I was in Wisconsin and Michigan two weeks ago for a lot of focus groups, and what I heard from voters, Democrats who support Biden, is just that they’re going to be watching and they want to make sure that he’s up to the task,” she added. “They might still be planning to vote for him, but they still, they’re uncomfortable about the age. And it really is an albatross that is hanging around this candidate and campaign.”

Biden’s cognitive ability has consistently been raised as a potential issue during his reelection campaign, with back-to-back listeners on Tuesday calling into a popular hip-hop radio show to criticize the president, as well as Democrats who insist he is fine.

The first caller characterized Biden as “demented Joe,” and the second said “these Democrats keep wanting to tell us not to believe our lying eyes, like everybody can’t see Joe Biden.”

“He is 81. And God bless him, but that don’t mean you capable and you the only person to run this country. We see what’s going on,” the caller continued. “You can tell us this is not happening … but we see it. We actually out here living it. I’m actually seeing people having to put their groceries back at the cash register. People barely can afford energy bills now.”

CNN’s Van Jones said on Thursday that if Biden makes errors during the debate, then the election is finished.

“This is the entire election, as far as I‘m concerned,” Jones said. “The entire world will be watching. If you are a carbon-based life form, you’re going to be watching. If you’ve got a functioning brain stem, you’re going to be watching, because if Biden goes out there and messes up, it’s game over. If he walks out there and a week later, he’s lower in the polls, it’s panic in the party.”