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According to a recent poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, over 75% of Americans express concerns about President Joe Biden’s ability to effectively lead the nation due to his age.
The survey reveals that more people are concerned about Biden’s age than they were about former President Donald Trump, who is only a few years younger.
An overwhelming 89% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats concur that Biden’s age could be a hindrance if he were to serve another term as Vice President, as reported by The Hill.
The age concern isn’t just limited to older Americans; it cuts across various age groups. In contrast, about half of the American respondents believed Trump was too old to be President, with Democrats more likely to hold this view than Republicans.
Across party lines, there appears to be broad support for setting age limits for public offices such as the presidency, the Supreme Court, and Congress.
About two-thirds of those surveyed advocate for setting maximum age restrictions for lawmakers and the President, as well as mandatory retirement ages for judges. Specifically, 67% of voters favor a retirement age for Supreme Court Justices, while 66% support age limitations for candidates running for the House, Senate, and the presidency.
In the lead-up to what seems like a 2024 electoral rematch between Biden and Trump, a new Harvard Harris Poll has revealed that while Trump remains the Republican front-runner, concerns are growing about Biden’s mental fitness for office. Only 32% of those surveyed believe Biden is mentally fit to be President, with 68% expressing doubts about his cognitive abilities.
Despite the concerns, Biden still remains the Democratic favorite. However, if he were to withdraw from the race, Vice President Kamala Harris would likely become the leading Democratic candidate.
Without Biden, Harris could garner 44% of the vote, effectively doubling the 22% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who would be her closest competitor.
The polling data suggests that questions about Biden’s mental fitness could be a decisive factor for undecided voters in the 2024 election, even though his approval rating hovers around 40%. Experts recommend that Democrats must proactively tackle these concerns to secure a second term for Biden.
According to the Harvard survey, 54% of Republican voters expect Trump to secure the nomination. If Trump doesn’t, Ron DeSantis is expected to take the lead with 29%, followed by Vivek Ramaswamy at 19% and former Vice President Mike Pence at 13%.
Hypothetical matchups show Trump maintaining a five-point lead over Biden and a nine-point lead over Harris, while DeSantis is in a statistical tie with both.
Interestingly, the survey shows that approximately six in ten Americans believe neither Biden nor Trump should seek a second term.
An earlier NBC News national survey from June supports this, showing a 17-point rise in concerns about Biden’s “necessary mental and physical health” since October 2020. Similarly, 55% of voters expressed health-related concerns about Trump, who recently turned 77.