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 香蕉视频直播� 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香蕉视频直播檚 employers 香蕉视频直播� the people 香蕉视频直播� aren香蕉视频直播檛 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 香蕉视频直播� Democrats are far more likely to disqualify Trump by age than are Republicans.
What香蕉视频直播檚 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香蕉视频直播檛 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.
香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e too old overall,香蕉视频直播� Burden said. That older generation represents 香蕉视频直播渁 sense of values and sense of the country and the world that just isn香蕉视频直播檛 accurate anymore. It can be dangerous to have that view.香蕉视频直播�
Similarly, Greg Pack, 62, a past and possibly future Trump voter in Ardmore, Oklahoma, wishes Biden and Trump would both move along.
香蕉视频直播淛ust watching and listening to Biden it香蕉视频直播檚 pretty self-evident he is not what he was,香蕉视频直播� said Pack, a registered nurse.
Trump? 香蕉视频直播淗e is a lot sharper but at the end of his term, who knows?香蕉视频直播� Pack said, contemplating January 2029. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 just ready for someone younger.香蕉视频直播� He香蕉视频直播檚 had about enough of a man who is 香蕉视频直播渁ll about himself香蕉视频直播� and is 香蕉视频直播渨earing his indictments like a badge of honor,香蕉视频直播� but if that香蕉视频直播檚 who it takes to defeat Biden, so be it.
WHAT香蕉视频直播橲 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香蕉视频直播檛 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香蕉视频直播檚 age and an additional 15% used words such as 香蕉视频直播渟low香蕉视频直播� or 香蕉视频直播渃onfused.香蕉视频直播� One Republican thought of 香蕉视频直播減otato.香蕉视频直播� Among Democrats, Biden香蕉视频直播檚 age was mentioned upfront by 28%. They preferred such terms over 香蕉视频直播減resident,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播渓eader,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播渟trong香蕉视频直播� or 香蕉视频直播渃apable.香蕉视频直播� One who approves of his performance nevertheless called him 香蕉视频直播渟enile.香蕉视频直播�
Only 3% in the survey came up with 香蕉视频直播渃onfused香蕉视频直播� as the first descriptor for Trump, and a mere 1% used 香蕉视频直播渙ld香蕉视频直播� or the like. Instead, the top words were those like 香蕉视频直播渃orrupt香蕉视频直播� or 香蕉视频直播渃rooked香蕉视频直播� (15%), 香蕉视频直播渂ad香蕉视频直播� and other generally negative terms (11%), words such as 香蕉视频直播渓iar香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播渄ishonest香蕉视频直播� (8%), along with 香蕉视频直播済ood香蕉视频直播� and other generally positive comments (8%).
Why the divergence between the two on public perceptions of their age?
香蕉视频直播淏iden just seems to be very compromised by age-related conditions,香蕉视频直播� said Eric Dezenhall, 60, a corporate scandal-management consultant who has followed Trump香蕉视频直播檚 career and worked in Ronald Reagan香蕉视频直播檚 White House. 香蕉视频直播淓ven people who like him see him as being frail and not altogether 香蕉视频直播榯here.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
香蕉视频直播淲hatever Trump香蕉视频直播檚 negatives are, I don香蕉视频直播檛 think most people see them as being related to being disabled in an age-related way,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚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.香蕉视频直播�
For Diego Saldana, 31, it hits close to home when he see Biden fumbling some words or taking halting steps.
香蕉视频直播淚 see all the symptoms my grandpa had,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淵ou can香蕉视频直播檛 be ruling a country香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播渙ld香蕉视频直播� for Biden and 香蕉视频直播渋ncompetent香蕉视频直播� 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香蕉视频直播檛 do better than these two.
香蕉视频直播淪heer optics,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淥lder gentlemen. You want your leaders, from a visual standpoint, to be spry and energetic. And we tend to fall short.香蕉视频直播�
He views Trump, with all his hand gestures and animation, as 香蕉视频直播渁 larger figure, a little more lively, just his personality. That gives him that energetic appearance.香蕉视频直播� But Colwell is certainly not going there.
香蕉视频直播淏iden was a good step to steady the water,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淏iden is more representative of the status quo and normalcy and that香蕉视频直播檚 probably what drew everyone initially to him香蕉视频直播� after the tumult of the Trump presidency.
香蕉视频直播淣ow you have a return to stability. But in terms of moving forward and having any measurable change on my generation, we香蕉视频直播檙e probably going to need younger leadership.香蕉视频直播�
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香蕉视频直播檚 convinced of it now and open to voting next year for someone else, just not Trump.
香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 think he香蕉视频直播檚 done a terrible job in office,香蕉视频直播� she said of Biden, 香蕉视频直播渂ut I think that香蕉视频直播檚 more because, as opposed to Trump, he surrounds himself with more experienced and logical people.香蕉视频直播�
Not that she places great value in experience, except in foreign affairs. 香蕉视频直播淒.C. is a swamp,香蕉视频直播� she said, 香蕉视频直播渁nd the more experience you have, the more you sink into the swamp.香蕉视频直播�
Said Jose Tapia, 33, a tech-company videographer in Raleigh, North Carolina, 香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 got to be a multitude of younger people who are also super qualified. There香蕉视频直播檚 no fresh faces at all.香蕉视频直播�
Older Democrats are less negative than younger ones on Biden香蕉视频直播檚 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香蕉视频直播檒l at least probably support him if he香蕉视频直播檚 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香蕉视频直播檚 focus on it shortchanges the gift of wisdom and experience.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 sort of the classic ageism that we香蕉视频直播檝e been battling for the last 50 years,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭he age of the individual is irrelevant. It香蕉视频直播檚 the policies that they bring to the table that are important. And the number of times around the sun just doesn香蕉视频直播檛 cut it as an important variable at all.香蕉视频直播�
From observing both men from afar and examining their medical records, Olshansky regards Biden and Trump as likely 香蕉视频直播渟uper agers香蕉视频直播� despite signs of frailty from Biden and Trump香蕉视频直播檚 excess weight.
香蕉视频直播淏iden is likely to outlive Trump because he has fewer harmful risk factors and he does exercise quite notably, whereas Trump does not,香蕉视频直播� he said. But overall, 香蕉视频直播渢hey香蕉视频直播檙e both functioning at a very high level.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚f you don香蕉视频直播檛 like what they say,香蕉视频直播� he added, 香蕉视频直播渋t香蕉视频直播檚 not because of how old they are. It香蕉视频直播檚 because you don香蕉视频直播檛 like what they say.香蕉视频直播�
The poll of 1,165 adults was conducted Aug. 10-14, 2023, using a sample drawn from NORC香蕉视频直播檚 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.
