In a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted on February 9 and 10, public sentiment surrounding President Joe Biden’s potential reelection is shrouded in skepticism, following a scathing assessment by special counsel Robert Hur characterizing Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The survey, comprising 528 adults aged 18 or older, exposed a resounding consensus among Americans regarding Biden’s age and fitness for office. An overwhelming 86 percent of respondents, reflecting concerns about an 81-year-old president, asserted that Biden is too old to undertake another term.
Interestingly, the poll also illuminated apprehensions about former President Donald Trump’s age, with 59 percent of respondents considering him unfit for office at 77 years old.
Delving into the survey’s nuances, 27 percent of respondents pinpointed Biden’s age as a decisive factor against his candidacy, while a meager 3 percent expressed concerns about Trump’s age. The poll’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
This poll release delivers a significant blow to the Biden campaign, actively combatting perceptions of the president’s cognitive abilities following Hur’s report. The investigation, prompted by the discovery of classified documents in Biden’s former residence, raised questions about his memory, citing “significant limitations” and struggles to recall pivotal events, including the death of his son Beau in 2015.
Released shortly after the report’s publication, the timing of the poll implies a potential impact on voters’ perceptions of Biden’s fitness for office. The concern about both Biden and Trump’s age has evidently escalated since September, as indicated by a previous ABC News/Washington Post poll where 74 percent of respondents believed Biden was too old for reelection.
Responding to the report, Biden’s allies and campaign officials launched a concerted effort to counter the narrative surrounding the president’s cognitive abilities. Mitch Landrieu, Biden campaign co-chair, vehemently dismissed suggestions that Biden is incapable of fulfilling his duties, labeling such assertions as “a bucket of BS.” Drawing parallels between Hur’s remarks and past criticisms of political figures, Landrieu emphasized the investigation’s conclusion without any wrongdoing on Biden’s part.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas similarly defended Biden’s cognitive sharpness, describing him as “intensely probing, detail-oriented, and focused” during meetings. The Biden campaign remains steadfast in their efforts to navigate through the challenging terrain of public perception and concerns about the president’s ability to serve another term.
