A large majority of voters say President Joe Biden is too old to run for another term in the White House, according to a new poll.
The Wall Street Journal published the findings of a survey on Monday that found 73% of voters viewed Biden, 80, as being too old to run for president. Two-thirds of Democrats espoused this view, closely aligning with the findings of a recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.
Voters faced the same question regarding 77-year-old former President Donald Trump, who is also running a campaign for a second term as the GOP frontrunner. Forty-seven percent of voters said Trump is too old.
“Voters are looking for change, and neither of the leading candidates is the change that they’re looking for,” insisted Democratic pollster Michael Bocian, who conducted the survey with Republican colleague Tony Fabrizio, who does surveys for a super PAC that supports Trump’s candidacy.
Already the oldest person to be president, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term. His tendency to lose his train of thought while speaking and moments caught on camera where he has tripped or fallen over have spurred concerns about his ability to lead effectively.
Other surveys this year have signaled a rising tide of concern about Biden’s fitness to serve as commander-in-chief even as he dominates national primary polls for the Democrats above challengers Robert F. Kennedy and Marianne Williamson.
In public appearances, Biden and his Democrat allies in Congress tend to shrug off nagging questions about the president’s age, but they have not been able to shake the issue entirely amid rampant speculation about who else might jump into the race if the incumbent bows out.
“His age is an issue, and people have every right to consider it,” Hillary Clinton, a former presidential contender herself, said of Biden during an event in May.
The Wall Street Journal survey, which polled 1,500 registered voters late last month and has an overall margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, pressed respondents on other questions about Biden and Trump.
One question found that 36% feel Biden is mentally up for the job of president, compared to 46% for Trump. Biden scored higher on other questions focused on likability and honesty, but Trump performed better when it came to a record of accomplishments and a vision for the future.
The survey also found that only 39% of voters hold a favorable view of Biden while 42% of respondents said they approve of how he is handling his job and 57% disapprove. In a hypothetical general election rematch, Biden and Trump each got 46% support.
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