A new survey has shown that a whooping 77 percent of Americans think that President Joe Biden is too old to govern if he wins a second term in office.
The oldest American president to assume office, Biden, 80, formally announced his second term bid in April.
He will be 81 when Americans go to the polls to elect a new president in November 2024.
There have been misgivings about the 46th president’s age, with the Associated Press-NORC poll released Monday showing that 89% of Republicans were concerned about Biden’s age hindering a second term and 69% of Democrats feeling the same way.
When asked about the first word that comes to mind when they think of each candidate, 26% of all adults cited Biden’s age and 15% mentioned words associated with being slow and confused, while only 1% and 3% did so for former President Donald Trump, Biden’s presumed 2024 challenger.
When asked the same question about former President Donald Trump, 23% answered “corrupt,” “criminal,” “crooked,” “liar,” “dishonest” and “untrustworthy.”
Pessimism over the current president’s age is consistent among both younger and older adults, with at least 7 in 10 of those both under 30 and over 60 years of age viewing Biden as too old to effectively serve another term.
Among Democrats though, younger people view Biden’s age as a larger issue. Seventy-seven percent of Democrats under age 45 think he is too old to serve a second term as president effectively compared to 62% of those over 45. And while 54% of Democrats age 45 and older want Biden to seek a second term, only 34% of those under 45 agree.
The age barrier notwithstanding, 77% say they will at least probably vote for Biden if he is the Democratic Party’s nominee, although only 28% indicate they will definitely do so.