NEW POLL: More Than Two-Thirds of DEMOCRATS Think Biden Is Too Old to Be President

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

While President Joe Biden likes to makes jokes about his age and beat his detractors to the punch, he might have a problem with the people who support him. A new poll reports that while 77 percent of Americans feel he’s too old for a second term, a whopping 69 percent of Democrats feel that way.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that Biden, who will turn 81 this November and will be 82 on Inauguration Day 2025 (no matter who wins the 2024 election), has an age problem among the vast majority of prospective voters, whether they identify with a political party or not. The AP points out that this is finally one issue where our politically polarized electorate can unite, which is a delightful perspective on the American gerontocracy.

Republican front-runner and former President Donald Trump’s age also came up during the poll, and a majority of U.S. voters (51 percent) and Democrats (71 percent) also felt that he, at 77, was too old. But his biggest problems with those polled were not age-related:

The AP-NORC survey went beyond posing questions and presenting choices. It also had a word association exercise, asking people to offer the first word or phrase that comes to mind at the mention of each man. …

In those visceral responses, 26% mentioned Biden’s age and an additional 15% used words such as “slow” or “confused.” One Republican thought of “potato.” Among Democrats, Biden’s age was mentioned upfront by 28%. They preferred such terms over “president,” “leader,” “strong” or “capable.” One who approves of his performance nevertheless called him “senile.”

Only 3% in the survey came up with “confused” as the first descriptor for Trump, and a mere 1% used “old” or the like. Instead, the top words were those like “corrupt” or “crooked” (15%), “bad” and other generally negative terms (11%), words such as “liar” and “dishonest” (8%), along with “good” and other generally positive comments (8%).

The AP even points out that while those polled see Trump’s age as less of an issue than Biden’s age, Trump not acting his age is seen as a negative. According to Eric Dezenhall, a “corporate scandal-management consultant who has followed Trump’s career and worked in [former President] Ronald Reagan’s White House”:

Whatever Trump’s negatives are, I don’t think most people see them as being related to being disabled in an age-related way. In fact, the more you throw at him, the more he seems like a ranting toddler. Disturbing, sure, but elderly? Not necessarily. Trump has been ranting this way for almost eight decades, and it always drives him forward.

So, if the polls can be trusted — and it’s still quite early in the 2024 race, and also, polls cannot be trusted — it could be a choice between a “confused” “potato” or a “ranting toddler.” Choose your fighter, America.