Michael Douglas says he believes President Joe Biden is still “sharp as a tack”—while adding a dig at former President Donald Trump—as concerns about the pair’s readiness to tackle another four-year presidency continue to swirl.
Appearing on CNN on Sunday to promote his new series, Franklin, in which Douglas plays Benjamin Franklin during one of the “great moments of diplomacy in history,” according to anchor Fareed Zakaria, the 79-year-old weighed in on the current state of modern politics.
When asked if he would ever run for the presidency, Douglas scoffed, adding he had already played that role (in the 1995 Aaron Sorkin-directed movie, The American President.) When quizzed on his thoughts about Biden’s age–Biden is 81, compared to Douglas at 79–Douglas hit back at suggestions the president wasn’t up for the job.
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“I think I walk a little similar to him,” Douglas said with a smirk.
“And the people that I’ve talked to and everybody that I have, say he’s sharp as a tack. He’s fine. We all have an issue with memories as we get older, we forget names. He’s overcome a stutter in his life.
“But let’s just say that his entire Cabinet, including his vice president, everybody in his Cabinet would be more than happy to work with him again in the next term. I cannot say that about the other candidate running because nobody in his Cabinet from 2016 wants to be involved with him.”
Though admitting he filmed Franklin in 2022 and after 165 days of shooting for seven months he hasn’t worked since, Douglas said Biden, “will be fine, thank you very much.”
Douglas added: “This is probably the most important election of my lifetime. This is the most critical time in my lifetime. We need somebody in control, in power, who has some experience and knows how to work on a global situation.”
Douglas’ CNN appearance comes just days ahead of a scheduled campaign fundraiser for Biden which the actor, along with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, are expected to attend and headline.
