Poll: 64% of Independents Doubt Joe Biden’s Mental Fitness; 72% Say He’s too Old for Presidency 

US President Joe Biden trips as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland
Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images
Wendell Husebø

Independent voters doubt President Joe Biden’s mental fitness and believe he is too old to be president, a Harvard/Harris poll found over the weekend.

The poll asked respondents, “Is Joe Biden mentally fit to serve as President of the United States or do you have doubts about his mental fitness for office?”

Sixty-four percent of independents doubt Biden’s mental fitness, along with 79 percent of Republicans and 27 percent of Democrats. Overall, 58 percent of respondents said they doubt Biden’s mental ability.

The poll also asked respondents, “Do you think Joe Biden is showing to be too old to be President or do you think he is showing to be fit to be president?”

Seventy-two percent of independents said Biden is too old to be president, along with 86 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats. Overall, 63 percent said he is too old to be president.

Biden, 80, is currently the oldest president in the history of the United States. If he runs for reelection and wins, he will be 86 by the end of his second term.

The poll sampled 1,851 voters from December 14- 15, 2022. No margin of error was provided.

The polling comes as recent surveys have shown similar results. Polling reveals that less than 25 percent of voters strongly believe Biden is mentally fit, healthy, and stable. Fifty-eight percent of Americans believe he should at least take a cognitive test.

Since Biden assumed office, at least ten times he has appeared lost in public:

Moreover, he also appears to consistently struggle with angry outbursts when peppered with direct questions — especially questions about his family’s international business dealings:

When a reporter asked Biden this year why voters doubt his mental ability, health, and stability, he said he had no clue.

“I have no idea,” Biden replied. “I don’t believe the polls.”

White House

Biden seems to combat the appearance of his mental challenges by appearing energetic in public. However, those efforts have backfired at times. In June, he fell off his bike in Rehoboth, Delaware, among a crowd of bystanders. In March, he tripped several times while climbing Air Force One’s staircase:

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.

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