As Biden, 81, takes on Trump, 78, half of voters want a certain age limit for presidential candidates. Here’s who would NOT make the cut
As the two oldest presidents in American history square off for the worldās most powerful job, many are asking, āReally? Those two old men again?ā and an exclusive DailyMail.com poll shows these voters want change.
President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 78, would both be disqualified from running for president if the 1,000 likely voters who responded to the Daily Mail had their way.
The survey, conducted after Biden’s reticence and confused behavior during his debate with Trump raised concerns among Democrats, found that half of potential voters believe there should be an age limit for presidential candidates.
And the most popular choice for the age limit would, perhaps unsurprisingly, mean that Trump and Biden would never have been able to run for a first term.
Half of the 1,000 likely voters surveyed by the Daily Mail said they believe there should be an age limit for running for president of the United States.
The median age that these respondents think should be the limit: 70 years.
In contrast, 29 percent of respondents said there should be no age limit.
Another 18 percent say they do not know whether there should be an age limit for the president.
āThe Biden-Trump debate appears to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,ā said pollster James Johnson, who conducted the Daily Mail survey.
“Americans are tired of older candidates and many are willing to set an age limit for the presidency of at least 70.”
āThis isnāt just a youth view: 43% of over-70s agree, setting the age limit at 75 ā still significantly lower than Biden and Trumpās age,ā Johnson said.
If Biden were inaugurated, he would be 82 years old and Trump would be 78, putting him well over the age limit most popular among voters surveyed by the Daily Mail.
For comparison, the average age of presidents at the time of their inauguration is 55.
President Biden, 81, struggled to articulate his thoughts clearly during last weekās presidential debate in Atlanta. His performance was so poor that Democratic lawmakers and strategists have been mulling over whether to replace him as party leader.
Half of likely voters say there should be age limits for presidential elections. The median age respondents gave for the limit was 70.
Biden told a group of Democratic governors he needs more sleep and to stop planning events after 8 p.m.
The youngest president to ever take office was Theodore Roosevelt at age 42, following the assassination of President William McKinley.
If Biden wins the 2024 election, he will be nearly twice as tall as Teddy Roosevelt was when he took office in 1901.
Despite the country’s long history of middle-aged leaders, voters have sent the oldest presidents in history to the White House in the last two presidential elections.
And their satisfaction with such decisions appears to be declining.
Voters polled by the Daily Mail also said they believe President Joe Biden should undergo a cognitive test and a physical health check.
More than 70 percent of respondents said Biden needs both a cognitive and physical health test.
In addition, an exclusive poll by DailyMail.com found that 60 percent of likely voters believe the president’s health has deteriorated significantly since the beginning of the year.
Of the 1,000 likely voters, only 18 percent disagreed with the statement that things have gotten worse for him.
First Lady Jill Biden helps her husband take a step back during CNN debate after his poor performance
The president looks down wearily during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on Wednesday
The poll found that 55 percent believe Biden has declined in the past month.
Recent reports have included anonymous accounts of astonishing behavior by the octogenarian president.
New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi published a scathing account from people close to the president who are shocked by the extent of Biden’s decline.
She reported that Democratic officials, activists and donors expressed their concerns to each other, but only in whispers.
Nuzzi said they did so out of fear that admitting that all was not well would jeopardize the future of the country. That’s because no one wanted to be responsible for helping a reborn Trump get re-elected to a second term.
One staunch Democrat was stunned when he realized Biden was too weak to survive an entire White House reception, Nuzzi said.
President Joe Biden, from left, walks with Deputy White House Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Bruce Reed and White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt. Reports have indicated that the president’s top advisers are isolating him from mid-level staffers, raising concerns about his condition
The unnamed bigwig is said to have realized then that it might be premature to dismiss theories about Bidenās fitness for office as right-wing propaganda. Some of Joe Bidenās friends and top supporters have also been shocked by his behavior and controlling inner circle.
According to anonymous sources close to the president who spoke to the newspaper, the president forgets the names of old friends and is easily manipulated by confidants such as his wife and top aides.
The speculation and concerns about Bidenās health have sparked debate among Democratic strategists and lawmakers as they try to chart a path to victory in November despite the party leaderās condition.