It is so often discussed how President Joe Biden, who at almost 81-years-old very much acts like our nation's oldest president, is too old to be president. The voters certainly think so, including Biden's fellow Democrats. Many voters don't even believe he'll make it through finishing his second term. If 2024 is to be a 2020 rematch between current President Biden and former President Donald Trump, though, Trump isn't much younger. He turned 77-years-old a few months ago.
But are voters concerned about Trump's age? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is in a distant second place behind Trump in the Republican primary, has argued that both Biden and Trump's age are an issue. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has called for term limits for Congress and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75-years-old.
As a poll from Monmouth University showed, though, voters are not as concerned that Trump is "too old" for office, while they very much so are about Biden. And it's not even close. The poll shows that 76 percent of registers think Biden is "too old to effectively serve another term as president," including 55 percent who "strongly agree." Fifty-six percent of Biden's Democrats think he's too old, which includes 23 percent who say so strongly.
Among most demographics polled, a plurality or majority "strongly agree" that Biden is too old to effectively serve another term. This includes 79 percent of Republicans, 65 percent of Independents, 39 percent of liberals, 51 percent of moderates, 73 percent of conservatives, 58 percent of men, 51 percent of women, 59 percent of those 18-34, 59 percent of those 35-54, 48 percent of those 55 and older, 64 percent of those who have children in the home, 52 percent of those who do not have children in the home, 57 percent of white voters, 49 percent of Hispanic/Black/Asian/Other voters, 57 percent of voters with no college degree, 51 percent of voters with a college degree, 61 percent of white voters with no degree, 53 percent of white voters with a college degree, 51 percent of voters with an income less than $50,000, 63 percent with those making an income $50,000-$100,000, and 53 percent with those making an income more than $100,000.
A plurality of Democrats, at 33 percent, say they "somewhat agree." You get the point. Voters of all kinds think Biden is indeed "too old."
For Trump, 48 percent of voters say he's too old, with 26 percent thinking so strongly. A plurality of voters, though, at 30 percent, say they "strongly disagree." Fifty percent of total voters disagree that Trump is "too old."
"These two men were born only three and a half years apart, but public perceptions of their age are wildly different. This is certainly one of the reasons, but probably not the only reason, why there is little voter enthusiasm for seeing a rematch of 2020 except among partisan loyalists," Patrick Murray, the director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute is quoted as saying.
The Monmouth University poll is interesting though because while there's 31 percent of voters who each say they'll "definitely" vote for Trump and Biden, 51 percent say they will "definitely not" vote for Biden, and 48 percent say they will "definitely not" vote for Trump.
Recall how in August that the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll showed 53 percent of Americans say they would "definitely not" support Trump if he were the nominee.
Further, when it comes to that potential rematch, this Monmouth University poll showed that just 37 percent of voters are "enthusiastic" about Trump being the nominee, while even fewer, 32 percent, say the same about Biden, even though the latter is currently the incumbent president. A majority of all voters, 53 percent, say they're "not at all enthusiastic" about Biden running. Fifty-two say the same about Trump.
Broken down by partisanship, 78 percent of Republicans say they're "enthusiastic," with a plurality, at 47 percent saying they're "very enthusiastic." While a majority of Democrats, 68 percent, say they are "enthusiastic" about Biden running, a plurality, at 39 percent, say they're "somewhat enthusiastic," which has a 10-point edge over the 29 percent who say they're "very enthusiastic."
The Monmouth University poll was conducted September 19-24 with 737 registered voters and a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
The poll's release does contain a note that "the poll questions on candidate age specifically did not mention how old either Trump or Biden are, so that the results represent extant opinion based on current knowledge and perceptions. Framing the questions with correct age information could change how some people respond and thus introduce error in measuring public opinion as it currently exists."
When it comes to the numbers about the voters who would definitely not vote for Trump, if he is the nominee, then there's time for his numbers to improve, though they could also get worse. According to RealClearPolitics poll averages, Trump leads with a spread of +43.1, with 56.7 percent support compared to DeSantis' 13.6 percent support.
Speaking to concerns with Biden's age and mental capabilities, the president isn't getting any younger. This is just the latest poll write-up and discussion of how multiple polls speak to concerns with Biden's age and his ability to finish another term.
Yes, Trump and Biden could both be considered "old," but in many ways it's more than just their numerical age. It's how that age manifests.
