Americans actually agree on something in this time of raw discord: Joe Biden is too old to be an effective president in a second term. Only a few years his junior, Donald Trump raises strikingly less concern about his age.
But they have plenty of other problems with Trump, who at least for now far outdistances his rivals for the Republican nomination despite his . Never mind his advanced years 含羞草研究社� if anything, some say, the 77-year-old ought to grow up.
A new poll from finds much of the public oddly united in sizing up the one trait Biden cannot change.
The president has taken to raising the age issue himself, with wisecracks, as if trying to relax his audiences about his 80 trips around the sun.
Age discrimination may be banned in the workplace but the president含羞草研究社檚 employers 含羞草研究社� the people 含羞草研究社� aren含羞草研究社檛 shy about their bias.
In the poll, fully 77% said Biden is too old to be effective for four more years. Not only do 89% of Republicans say that, so do 69% of Democrats. That view is held across age groups, not just by young people, though older Democrats specifically are .
In contrast, about half of U.S. adults say Trump is too old for the office, and here the familiar partisan divide emerges 含羞草研究社� Democrats are far more likely to disqualify Trump by age than are Republicans.
What含羞草研究社檚 clear from the poll is that Americans are saying out with the old and in with the young, or at least younger.
Democrats, Republicans and independents want to sweep a broad broom through the halls of power, imposing age limits on the presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court. In all about two-thirds of U.S. adults back an age ceiling on candidates for president and Congress and a mandatory retirement age for justices.
Specifically, 67% favor requiring Supreme Court justices to retire by a certain age, 68% support age ceilings for candidates for House and Senate, and 66% support age ceilings for candidates for president.
With elders mostly running the show and the Constitution to contend with, don含羞草研究社檛 expect that to happen any time soon.
Even so, the survey suggests are open to seeing a younger face, a fresher one, or both, capture the public imagination.
Among them is Noah Burden, a 28-year-old communications consultant in Alexandria, Virginia. Despite a clear preference for Biden over Trump, he wishes the top contenders for the presidency were closer to his generation.
含羞草研究社淭hey含羞草研究社檙e too old overall,含羞草研究社� Burden said. That older generation represents 含羞草研究社渁 sense of values and sense of the country and the world that just isn含羞草研究社檛 accurate anymore. It can be dangerous to have that view.含羞草研究社�
Similarly, Greg Pack, 62, a past and possibly future Trump voter in Ardmore, Oklahoma, wishes Biden and Trump would both move along.
含羞草研究社淛ust watching and listening to Biden it含羞草研究社檚 pretty self-evident he is not what he was,含羞草研究社� said Pack, a registered nurse.
Trump? 含羞草研究社淗e is a lot sharper but at the end of his term, who knows?含羞草研究社� Pack said, contemplating January 2029. 含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 just ready for someone younger.含羞草研究社� He含羞草研究社檚 had about enough of a man who is 含羞草研究社渁ll about himself含羞草研究社� and is 含羞草研究社渨earing his indictments like a badge of honor,含羞草研究社� but if that含羞草研究社檚 who it takes to defeat Biden, so be it.
WHAT含羞草研究社橲 YOUR WORD?
The AP-NORC survey went beyond posing questions and presenting choices. It also had a word association exercise, asking people to offer the first word or phrase that comes to mind at the mention of each man.
The answers underscored how age is a particular drag for Biden across party lines, even when people aren含羞草研究社檛 prompted to think about that, and how Trump largely escapes that only to draw disdain if not disgust on other fronts.
In those visceral responses, 26% mentioned Biden含羞草研究社檚 age and an additional 15% used words such as 含羞草研究社渟low含羞草研究社� or 含羞草研究社渃onfused.含羞草研究社� One Republican thought of 含羞草研究社減otato.含羞草研究社� Among Democrats, Biden含羞草研究社檚 age was mentioned upfront by 28%. They preferred such terms over 含羞草研究社減resident,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社渓eader,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社渟trong含羞草研究社� or 含羞草研究社渃apable.含羞草研究社� One who approves of his performance nevertheless called him 含羞草研究社渟enile.含羞草研究社�
Only 3% in the survey came up with 含羞草研究社渃onfused含羞草研究社� as the first descriptor for Trump, and a mere 1% used 含羞草研究社渙ld含羞草研究社� or the like. Instead, the top words were those like 含羞草研究社渃orrupt含羞草研究社� or 含羞草研究社渃rooked含羞草研究社� (15%), 含羞草研究社渂ad含羞草研究社� and other generally negative terms (11%), words such as 含羞草研究社渓iar含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社渄ishonest含羞草研究社� (8%), along with 含羞草研究社済ood含羞草研究社� and other generally positive comments (8%).
Why the divergence between the two on public perceptions of their age?
含羞草研究社淏iden just seems to be very compromised by age-related conditions,含羞草研究社� said Eric Dezenhall, 60, a corporate scandal-management consultant who has followed Trump含羞草研究社檚 career and worked in Ronald Reagan含羞草研究社檚 White House. 含羞草研究社淓ven people who like him see him as being frail and not altogether 含羞草研究社榯here.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
含羞草研究社淲hatever Trump含羞草研究社檚 negatives are, I don含羞草研究社檛 think most people see them as being related to being disabled in an age-related way,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淚n fact, the more you throw at him, the more he seems like a ranting toddler. Disturbing, sure, but elderly? Not necessarily. Trump has been ranting this way for almost eight decades, and it always drives him forward.含羞草研究社�
For Diego Saldana, 31, it hits close to home when he see Biden fumbling some words or taking halting steps.
含羞草研究社淚 see all the symptoms my grandpa had,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淵ou can含羞草研究社檛 be ruling a country含羞草研究社� that way. His granddad now is 94. Saldana supports Trump despite hesitancy over the criminal charges against him.
Eric Colwell, 34, an audit manager in Sacramento, California, came up with 含羞草研究社渙ld含羞草研究社� for Biden and 含羞草研究社渋ncompetent含羞草研究社� for Trump as his first-impression words. An independent who leans Democratic, he sounded a little embarrassed on the phone that the U.S. can含羞草研究社檛 do better than these two.
含羞草研究社淪heer optics,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淥lder gentlemen. You want your leaders, from a visual standpoint, to be spry and energetic. And we tend to fall short.含羞草研究社�
He views Trump, with all his hand gestures and animation, as 含羞草研究社渁 larger figure, a little more lively, just his personality. That gives him that energetic appearance.含羞草研究社� But Colwell is certainly not going there.
含羞草研究社淏iden was a good step to steady the water,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淏iden is more representative of the status quo and normalcy and that含羞草研究社檚 probably what drew everyone initially to him含羞草研究社� after the tumult of the Trump presidency.
含羞草研究社淣ow you have a return to stability. But in terms of moving forward and having any measurable change on my generation, we含羞草研究社檙e probably going to need younger leadership.含羞草研究社�
Alyssa Baggio, 32, is a Democratic-leaning independent in Vancouver, Washington, who works as a recruitment specialist for a homebuilder. She thought Biden was too old for the presidency before he started it. She含羞草研究社檚 convinced of it now and open to voting next year for someone else, just not Trump.
含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 think he含羞草研究社檚 done a terrible job in office,含羞草研究社� she said of Biden, 含羞草研究社渂ut I think that含羞草研究社檚 more because, as opposed to Trump, he surrounds himself with more experienced and logical people.含羞草研究社�
Not that she places great value in experience, except in foreign affairs. 含羞草研究社淒.C. is a swamp,含羞草研究社� she said, 含羞草研究社渁nd the more experience you have, the more you sink into the swamp.含羞草研究社�
Said Jose Tapia, 33, a tech-company videographer in Raleigh, North Carolina, 含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 got to be a multitude of younger people who are also super qualified. There含羞草研究社檚 no fresh faces at all.含羞草研究社�
Older Democrats are less negative than younger ones on Biden含羞草研究社檚 decision to run again. In the poll, only 34% of Democrats under 45 want him running for reelection, compared with 54% of those older. Still, about three-quarters of younger Democrats say they含羞草研究社檒l at least probably support him if he含羞草研究社檚 the nominee; others did not commit to that.
RESPECT YOUR ELDERS
All of this is dispiriting to S. Jay Olshansky, a public-health professor and aging expert at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He thinks age, when sizing up a presidential candidate, is no more relevant than eye color and the public含羞草研究社檚 focus on it shortchanges the gift of wisdom and experience.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 sort of the classic ageism that we含羞草研究社檝e been battling for the last 50 years,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淭he age of the individual is irrelevant. It含羞草研究社檚 the policies that they bring to the table that are important. And the number of times around the sun just doesn含羞草研究社檛 cut it as an important variable at all.含羞草研究社�
From observing both men from afar and examining their medical records, Olshansky regards Biden and Trump as likely 含羞草研究社渟uper agers含羞草研究社� despite signs of frailty from Biden and Trump含羞草研究社檚 excess weight.
含羞草研究社淏iden is likely to outlive Trump because he has fewer harmful risk factors and he does exercise quite notably, whereas Trump does not,含羞草研究社� he said. But overall, 含羞草研究社渢hey含羞草研究社檙e both functioning at a very high level.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淚f you don含羞草研究社檛 like what they say,含羞草研究社� he added, 含羞草研究社渋t含羞草研究社檚 not because of how old they are. It含羞草研究社檚 because you don含羞草研究社檛 like what they say.含羞草研究社�
The poll of 1,165 adults was conducted Aug. 10-14, 2023, using a sample drawn from NORC含羞草研究社檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
