Joe Biden acknowledged during Tuesday night’s CNN town hall in Milwaukee that he sometimes feels overwhelmed by the presidency.
The moment: Asked by host Anderson Cooper how his new role compares to being vice president, Biden suggested every day is a new surprise for him and his wife, Jill Biden,
- “I get up in the morning and look at Jill and say, ‘Where the hell are we?'” Joe Biden quipped.
Biden, who at age 78 is the oldest-ever U.S. president, took a lengthy pause before launching into a meandering monologue without a clear point, one of several on the night.
- “You know, I’ve only been president four weeks, and sometimes, because things are moving so fast — not because of the burden — it feels like four years,” he said. “It’s not because of the burden, it’s because there’s so much happening that you focus on …”
- In a revelation that surprised many political observers, Biden went on to say that he had never been in the White House residence before he moved in, despite having served eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president.
On at least five occasions during the town hall, his first as president, Biden apologized for talking too much.
At the end of the night, Biden echoed widely shared concerns about his continued fitness for office.
- “I literally pray that I have the capacity to do for the country what you all deserve need be done,” he said.
