6 in 10 US Adults Doubt Biden's Mental Capability
A poll has found that a growing share of US adults doubt that 81-year-old President Joe Biden has the memory and acuity for the job.
Roughly 6 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.
Nearly 6 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.
Just 38% of US adults approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, while 61% disapprove. Democrats (74%) are much more likely than independents (20%) and Republicans (6%) to favor his performance. But there's broad discontent on the way Biden is handling a variety of issues, including the economy, immigration and foreign policy.
About 4 in 10 Americans approve of the way Biden is handling each of these issues: health care, climate change, abortion policy and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
But people are less satisfied by Biden's handling of immigration (29%), the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians (31%) and the economy (34%).
Nearly 6 in 10 (57%) Americans think the national economy is somewhat or much worse off than before Biden took office in 2021. Only 3 in 10 adults say it's better under his leadership.
Many respondents to the survey were deeply pessimistic about their likely choices in November because of age and the risk of cognitive decline.
Because of both candidates' ages, Greg Olivo said he plans to focus on Vice President Kamala Harris and whomever Trump, if he's the nominee, picks for a running mate.
"Keep a close eye on the vice president," said the 62 year old from Valley City, Ohio, who voted for Biden in 2020 and would do so again. "Because that person will probably be the president in four years, one way or another."
