Most of Biden’s 2020 voters think he’s ‘just too old’ old for White House — but will still vote for him: poll
Most voters who backed President Biden in 2020 think he’s now too old to be effective in a second term, according to a new poll.
Some 61% of those voters somewhat or strongly agreed with that statement that the 81-year-old is “just too old” to be effective as commander-in-chief and 59% who plan to back him in 2024 feel that way, per the recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
Among voters writ large, 73% felt that way. Forty-two percent of voters said the same about former President Donald Trump.
It’s even more bad news from the poll, which showed Trump handily winning the popular vote if the election were held today.
The New York Times and Siena College poll is ranked as the top poll in FiveThirtyEight’s rating of pollsters.
A deluge of polls has pegged deep concerns about Biden’s age in the general public.
Last week, Biden received his annual physical at Walter Reed Medical Center, in which a team of doctors led by presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor assessed him and released a six-page report to the public.
That report revealed very few new developments with his health. The White House later defended Biden from detractors who wanted a cognitive exam, claiming that such a test is necessary.
Biden is already the oldest sitting US president and would be 86 by the conclusion of a second term. His chief rival Trump, 77, would surpass him as the oldest if he wins in November and serves out another term.
Allies of the octogenarian have strenuously defended him, touting his legislation and foreign policy successes and crediting that to mental sharpness.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas countered that foes of Biden “should spend a bit of time with Joe Biden like I have done” to get a true understanding of his mental prowess.
“I prepare a lot for meetings with him and engagements with him because he’s remarkably detail-oriented, probing, and operationally focused,” Mayorkas, who has been impeached by the US House, told CNN’s State of the Union” on Sunday.
Biden, himself, has called questions about his age legitimate, but insisted that he’s up to the job.
The poll was a deluge of dire warnings for Biden’s reelection campaign. A notable 62% of men and 68% of women felt that the country is trending in the “wrong direction.”
The New York Times/Siena College poll sampled 980 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points between Feb. 25-28.
A separate Wall Street Journal poll that dropped Sunday found Biden trailing Trump 45% to 47%, which is within the margin of error.
That poll also found that 31% of voters became more upbeat about the economy under Biden’s watch, with 43% saying their personal finances are moving in a positive direction.
Still, that doesn’t appear to be translating into high marks for Biden among voters. Thirty-eight percent somewhat or strongly approve of his job performance, compared to 60% who either strongly or somewhat disapprove.
A variety of national polls have uncovered similar findings. On average 40.5% approve of his performance, compared to 56.5% disapprove, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate.
Trump touts a 2.2-point lead over Biden in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls and maintains an advantage in polling of most battleground states.
Biden’s team has downplayed the polls and conveyed confidence in his prospects.
“Polling continues to be at odds with how Americans vote, and consistently overestimates Donald Trump while underestimating President Biden,” Biden Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler said.
Tyler pointed to recent off-year and special elections in which Democrats came out on top.
“Joe Biden and Democrats continue to outperform while Donald Trump and the party he leads are weak, cash-strapped, and deeply divided. Our campaign is ignoring the noise and running a strong campaign to win – just like we did in 2020.”
The Wall Street Journal poll sampled 750 registered voters from Feb. 21-28 with a margin or error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
