the incidents involving mitch mcconnell and long-time democratic senator dianne feinstein bring new attention to the age factor in politics that is already front and center with an 80-year-old president running for re-election. here is senior congressional correspondent chad pergram. the string of how long is too long? the most powerful leaders in america no match for the great equalizers health and age. anything else you want to say or should we go back to your office? 81-year-old senate majority leader mitch mcconnell fridaying at a news conference. 90-year-old dianne feinstein bewilderrerred at a committee meeting. just say aye. okay. aye. aye. age stalking the 80-year-old president. and go ahead i think that it s legitimate to discuss the age of the president, who is running for re-election. the white house dismisses this. he beat republicans in 2020.
he beat republicans in 2022. at the capitol, there are whispers in the marble corridors that income council isn t the same since missing six weeks after suffering a concussion from a tumble. tell us if something bigger is going on? mcconnell s health episodes jocking among those who could succeed him. [inaudible] i mean, the new congress is 18 months away. i m trying to figure out how could he with get this authorization bill off the floor. democrats are equally anxious about feinstein s health and their narrow majority. democrat alexandria ocasio-cortez called for feinstein to resign after she missed months due to shingles. some politicians hang on too long. i believe there should be a criteria of fitness to serve, cognitive testing, or cognitive assessment. mcconnell says he is staying, the only requirements for the senate 30 years of age and a resident of the state you
he will see that support where a fox business poll showed him with a 30-point lead in iowa. where republicans there clearly are not that concerned about these indictments. they believe it s a continuatin and more evidence of the unfair pursuit that they believe that trump was targeted by the justice department and other investigators all throughout his presidency. bret: last thing, stef. with what we saw from the senate minority leader freezing up in that press conference also had senator feinstein being told how to vote in a hearing today, do you think that age is going to be more of a factor? oh, absolutely will be and already is i mean, we are having these conversations almost daily and the press talking about, you know, when do our leaders need to step aside. obviously that moment from minority leader, the senate minority leader mcconnell was a good example of just raising this issue yet again we re seeing the average age in