Large Majority ‘Doubts’ Biden’s Mental Acuity

A large majority of Americans said that President Joe Biden did not have the mental acuity to lead, according to a recent poll. The results came as concerns about Biden’s age and mental health have increased, especially since the release of special counsel Robert Hur’s report in which he describes Biden as having significant memory issues.

The most recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that a large majority of Americans said that they were concerned about the president’s mental abilities. About 60% of Americans said that they did not have confidence in Biden’s mental capacity.

Furthermore, the numbers appear to have other negative news for the president. Only about three-in-ten Democrats said that they had doubts about Biden’s mental capacity, which is more than double the amount who reported the same two years ago. Only 40% of Democrats said that they were “extremely” or “very” confident in the president’s mental state.

The poll followed a recent New York Times/Siena College poll that showed a large majority of Americans believing that Biden was “just too old to be an effective president.” A total of 73% of the public agreed with the sentiment. This included 47% who said that they “strongly agree” and another 26% who said that they “somewhat agree.”

Only 25% of the public disagreed, with just 11% saying that they “strongly disagree.”

Part two of the NYT/Siena poll:

“Widespread concerns about President Biden’s age pose a deepening threat to his re-election bid, with a majority of voters who supported him in 2020 now saying he is too old to lead the country effectively” https://t.co/fB61hzEciA

— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) March 3, 2024

The release of last month’s special counsel report opened new concerns about the president’s mental faculties. Hur wrote that he declined to recommend charges against the president over alleged “willful” retention of documents in part due to his perceived diminishing memory.

Hur wrote in the report that should Biden be prosecuted, the president would present himself as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

According to the report, Biden could not remember a number of important elements of his life, including when he was vice president and when his son Beau Biden died.

Following the release of the report, Biden denied having any mental or age-related issues. However, in a press event later the same day, the president struggled with his words. At one point he confused the nations of Egypt and Mexico.