More than three in four Americans are concerned about the health and mental acuity of President Joe Biden to varying degrees, according to a poll.
The Yahoo/YouGov poll published Tuesday shows that a plurality of Americans (39 percent) are “Very” concerned about his “health and mental acuity.” Another 21 percent are “Somewhat” worried, and 17 percent are “Slightly” concerned. Moreover, these worries are held among 82 percent of the independents sampled in the poll. Only 23 percent of Americans have no concerns about Biden’s cognitive faculties or health.
The poll also asked respondents if they view the 46th president to be competent. A plurality of 49 percent of Americans believe he lacks competence versus just 35 percent who believe he is capable of successfully doing the job.
Biden, whose approval rating pinged at 41 percent, has stated he intends to run for president again in 2024, although he has not made an official announcement. He is reportedly eyeing an April campaign launch, to the worry of some Democrats, as Breitbart News noted.
Despite Biden’s “intention” to seek reelection, some Democrats are worried about his chances in a general election, as Politico’s Jonathon Martin reported last month.
“Nobody wants to be the one to do something that would undermine the chances of a Democratic victory in 2024,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) told Martin. “Yet in quiet rooms the conversation is just the opposite — we could be at a higher risk if this path is cleared.”
Martin caught up with a second Democrat lawmaker who hoped Biden would ride off into the sunset, noting the individual “recalled speaking to Jill Biden and, hoping to plant a seed about a one-term declaration of victory, told her how her husband should be celebrated for saving democracy.”
Biden would be 82 by the start of his second term if he wins reelection. While 47 percent of registered Democrats and left-leaning independents want to see him as the nominee next year, 65 percent of Americans think he is “too old for another term as president,” according to the poll.
Hypothetical head-to-head general election match-ups show Biden losing to both former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
YouGov sampled 1,516 U.S. adults for its poll conducted between February 23-27. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.