Joe Biden on Saturday rejected criticism that he's "the old guy" of the Democratic presidential field during a northern California fundraising swing.
Answering critics over his debate performance — and a moment where he was asked to "pass the torch" to a younger generation of candidates — the former vice president said: “I know I get criticized, 'Biden says he can bring the country together.
' Well guess what, I refuse to accept, 'He's the old guy.' I refuse to accept the status quo."“The status quo will not sustain us. I really mean it. It can't happen. If we unite this country, think about it, there's not a damn thing we can't do," Biden added, drawing applause.
Biden was attending a Bay Area fundraiser at the home of former Twitter executive Katie Jacobs Stanton ahead of Sunday's second-quarter fundraising deadline. About 200 guests attended the backyard event, where Biden largely recounted sections of his stump speech for 28 minutes, according to a pool report.
Biden, who is 76, is the second oldest Democratic candidate after Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is one year his senior.
The generational issue came to a head during a memorable exchange at the Democratic debate on Thursday night, when Rep. Eric Swalwell said he was 6 years old when then-senator Biden asked the California Democratic convention to pass the torch to a new generation.
“Joe Biden was right when he said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans 32 years ago. He’s still right today. … Pass the torch," Swalwell, 38, said.
Biden quickly shot back that he was "still holding on to that torch.
"After the debate, Sanders came to Biden's defense by saying the attacks were a form of "ageism." Sanders would become the oldest president if elected to office.
President Donald Trump, who is 73, took a shot at Biden's age the day after the former vice president announced he was a contender for president, and has since referred to Biden as "Sleepy Joe" and questioned his mental capacity.
"I just feel like a young man. I’m so young. I can’t believe it. I’m the youngest person. I am a young, vibrant man," Trump said before continuing, "I look at Joe? I don’t know about him. I don’t know.”
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine