According to a Newsweek study, most Democrats worry that President Joe Biden, at age 80, is too old to effectively carry out his duties. Biden would leave the White House in 2029 at the age of 86, making him the oldest president in U.S. history.
Many people are concerned that he is unqualified to run again next year because of his history of embarrassing gaffes on the international stage. Respondents were also questioned how much they worried about Biden’s capacity to execute his job because of his advanced age.
Seventy-five percent of Democrats questioned expressed some level of worry, with 21% saying they were extremely worried, 23% saying they were somewhat worried, and 31% saying they were not worried at all. Twenty-two percent were unconcerned that Biden’s age would hinder him in any way, and three percent just didn’t know.
In a survey conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, 44% of likely voters expressed concern that Biden’s advanced age might hinder his performance in office, while 17% were “fairly concerned,” 21% were “slightly concerned,” 14% were “not at all concerned,” and 3% answered “don’t know.”
The survey also questioned participants how they felt about the claim that President Joe Biden is too elderly to run for reelection. Twenty percent of Democrats gave a strong yes response, with another 22 percent giving an affirmative yes. But 14% of Biden supporters disagreed, and 17% of them strongly disagreed, for a total of 31%; 24% said they neither agreed nor disapproved; and 2% said they didn’t know.
The latest Newsweek survey isn’t the first time Biden’s performance as vice president has been called into question. Three NBC news reporters wrote an article outlining the many ways in which Biden’s daily schedule has been altered to reduce the likelihood of public gaffes. The article acknowledges Biden’s earlier assurance in answer to questions about whether or not his age would be a disadvantage.
Evidence of his advancing age, such as the article’s claims that he walks less steadily, speaks less fluently, and confuses Iraq with Ukraine and Rolling Fork and ‘Rolling Stone,’ argue against such assurance.
