US elections: Majority of voters think Biden is too old to be effective president, says new poll

WASHINGTON: A majority of voters in the US believe Joe Biden is just too old to be an effective president, according to a new poll by the New York Times and Siena College.

According to the poll’s results, 73 percent of all registered voters believe Biden is too old to be effective, in turn revealing spreading concerns about the 81-year old president’s mental competency.

Among those who voted for Biden in 2020, 61 percent believe Biden’s age will make him an ineffective president for a second term, with 26 percent indicating that they strongly agree and 35 percent indicating that they somewhat agree.

The results of the wide-ranging poll, which were first released on Friday, are the latest blow to Biden’s election campaign which has faced a barrage of criticism centered around Biden’s age and widespread voters’ fears about his ability to be president.

At 81, Biden is the oldest president ever to seek re-election, though his likely challenger, former US president Donald Trump, is only four years younger. However, in much recent polling Biden is usually trailing to Trump and he also faces high disapproval ratings.

In response to whether Biden’s age is such a problem that he is not capable of handling the job of president, 45 percent of total registered voters agreed in the latest New York Times/Siena study. Among those that voted for Biden four years ago, 19 percent said they agreed with the statement.

Meanwhile, across all registered voters, 26 percent expressed that while Biden’s age makes him ineffective, he is still able to handle the job of president well enough. Among those that voted for him in 2020, 41 percent agreed with the statement.