6 in 10 US adults doubt Biden’s mental capability
AN increasing number of American adults are uncertain about President Joe Biden’s ability to perform his duties, specifically questioning his memory and acuity due to his age of 81 years.
Roughly six in 10 say they’re not very or not at all confident in Biden’s mental capability to serve effectively as president, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s a slight increase from January 2022, when about half of those polled expressed similar concerns.
By the same token, nearly six in 10 also say they lack confidence in the mental capability of former President Donald Trump, the 77-year-old Republican front-runner.
For many voters, this year’s election looks like a showdown for the world’s toughest job between two men who are well beyond the standard retirement age.
The next president will probably need to steer through global conflicts, fix domestic emergencies and work with a dysfunctional Congress.
Biden is likely to address those challenges and more in his upcoming State of the Union address, which will now be something of a real-time audition for a second term.
Going into the big event, just 38% of U.S. adults approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, while 61% disapprove.
Many respondents to the survey were deeply pessimistic about their likely choices in November because of age and the risk of cognitive decline.
Paul Miller, himself 84, said Biden is just too old – and so is Trump.
“He doesn’t seem to have the mental whatever to be a president,” Miller said of Biden. He added that Trump is “too old, too, and half crazy.”