An increasing number of Democrats have doubts about President Biden’s mental fitness, September’s Harvard/Harris survey found.
Biden’s mental and physical fitness remains a point of concern among many voters, and he has done little to diminish those concerns throughout his presidency. When asked if Biden “is showing he is too old to be president,” 69 percent of respondents said he is. Just 31 percent said Biden “is showing he is fit to be president.”
While 58 percent of Democrats believe the 80-year-old “is showing he is fit to be president,” four in ten Democrats, 42 percent, believe he “is showing he is too old to be president.” Ninety percent of Republicans and three-quarters of independents agree with that sentiment.
Further, most respondents across the board, 58 percent, have “doubts” about Biden’s mental fitness. That includes 31 percent of Democrats, 86 percent of Republicans, and 62 percent of independents. Interestingly, those results show Democrats, particularly, growing more concerned with Biden’s mental fitness.
In July, 24 percent of Democrats had doubts about Biden’s mental fitness; this latest poll reflects a seven-point increase over the past two months.
Notably, the survey also shows former President Donald Trump leading Biden by four points in a head-to-head matchup.
📊 NEW NATIONAL POLL
PRES:
(R) Trump 44% (+4)
(D) Biden 40%(R) Trump 46% (+6)
(D) Harris 40%
——
GOP PRES:
Trump 57% (+47)
DeSantis 10%
Ramaswamy 8%
Haley 6%
Pence 4%
Christie 2%
Scott 2%
——
Harris/Harvard (B) | 09/13-14 | RVshttps://t.co/ijtm7Fnk9p pic.twitter.com/DWu9Tr28I8— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) September 15, 2023
The survey was taken September 12-14, 2023, among 2,103 registered voters.
Trump, however, is not among those who has criticized Biden for his age. Rather, Trump said Biden’s age is not the issue, but his incompetency.
“No, not for the reason of old, because I have many friends who are in their 80s,” Trump told Megyn Kelly during an interview, adding that he also has friends in their 90s who are “sharp as a tack.”
“He’s not too old. He’s incompetent,” Trump continued. “And age is interesting, because some people are very sharp and some people do lose it, but you lose it at 40 and 50 also. But no, he’s not too old at all. He’s grossly incompetent.”
“You look at some of the great world leaders. They were in their 80s. And they did — I mean, Churchill, so many people. They were phenomenal in their 80s. You know, there’s a great wisdom, if you’re not in a position like him,” Trump said, adding that Biden “wasn’t the sharpest tack, either” 25 years ago.
TODAY on The @MegynKellyShow:
Former President Donald Trump on Biden's impeachment and age, Fauci and COVID, Melania and Barron, the classified documents case, and much more. Plus, @VDHanson…
Watch the FULL show here on X, for the first time: pic.twitter.com/56LekIV1WE
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) September 14, 2023
