President Joe Biden is too old to be president, 70% of respondents in a poll released on Monday morning say.
The poll of 1,000 likely general election voters found that 49% of Democrats think he’s too old at 80 to be seeking a second term. The survey has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1%, JL Partners/DailyMail.com said.
Of Republicans responding, 94% said Biden was too old. Among independents, 71% agreed.
But results from the poll also suggest that if the general election were held tomorrow, Biden would narrowly hold on to the White House.
The GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, is 77.
“It’s more they thought when they elected Joe Biden the first time that he was going to be a bridge to the next generation, that even though he didn’t say it, that the implication was that he was going to serve one term,” Jon Favreau, the former director of speechwriting during the Barack Obama administration, told a New York Times podcast. “And now they think he’s getting up there in age, and they are a little uncomfortable about that.”
Biden’s personal doctor said the commander-in-chief “remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.” Dr. Kevin O’Connor added after a physical exam in February that Biden has a stiffened walk.
Biden’s slip and fall at an Air Force graduation ceremony earlier this month raised concerns about his health and led to jokes on the campaign trail.
“We hope and wish Joe Biden a swift recovery from any injuries he may have sustained,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a New Hampshire rally, Newsweek reported, “but we also wish the United States of America a swift recovery from the injuries it has sustained because of Joe Biden and his policies.”
Biden also was criticized for a remark he made about 48-year-old actress Eva Longoria’s age. Biden was speaking outside the White House during a screening of “Red Hot,” Longoria’s directorial debut.
“We’ve known each other a long time. She was 17, I was 40,” Biden said, according to Newsweek, promoting laughs among the crowd but cringes on social media.
As Biden was signing off a speech at a Connecticut gun control event last week, he said, “God Save The Queen,” confusing those in attendance. Queen Elizabeth of England died in 2022. It raised questions about him being confused.
“I have seen countless — and I mean countless — drunk people say something totally obscure like ‘God save the Queen’ and then jaunt around like a Joe Biden just did in an effort to play it off as if they were sober. He’s truly incapacitated,” tweeted political strategist Evan Berryhill.
The president has two rivals for the Democratic nomination, Robert F. Kennedy and Marianne Williamson. Neither is considered a major threat.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was on a media tour last week, making an appearance on the “Sean Hannity Show” on Fox News and raising his national profile, as reported by The Dallas Express. Newsom has said previously he would not run against Biden in 2024.
Newsom did, however, challenge DeSantis, his frequent nemesis, to a debate.
“You know what? Stop pussyfooting around,” DeSantis responded. “Are you gonna throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe? Are you going to get in and do it? Or are you just gonna sit on the sidelines and chirp?”