Joe Biden Has Lost His Own Voters

A plurality of those who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 think that the 81-year-old president is too old to seek reelection in November, according to a new poll conducted exclusively for Newsweek.

By contrast, a solid majority of those who backed Donald Trump in 2020 don't believe the current Republican frontrunner, 77, is too old to run for another term. However, a plurality of the general public does hold this view. Newsweek has contacted representatives of Joe Biden and Donald Trump's 2024 election campaigns for comment by email.

The Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey of 1,500 eligible U.S. voters was conducted online between February 18 and 19. Republicans have focused heavily on Biden's age and mental agility, following a series of recent gaffes. The Democrats have accused them of hypocrisy, pointing out Trump has also made a number of mistakes in recent speeches.

The poll found that 61 percent of Americans either agree or strongly agree with the statement that "President Biden is too old to seek a second term as president;" just 18 percent either disagree or strongly disagree. Another 18 percent said they neither agree nor disagree, while 3 percent said they were undecided.

Among those who voted for Biden in 2020, 44 percent think he's too old to run for another term, against 34 percent who actively disagree. Another 21 percent say they "neither agree nor disagree," and 2 percent answered "don't know."

In total, only 32 percent of the public think Biden should "run for re-election in 2024" versus 56 percent who disagree, with another 13 percent saying they don't know. However, among just 2020 Democrat voters, 58 percent said Biden should run again in November, against 30 percent who were actively opposed and 12 percent who were unsure.

Trump's figures are more favorable than Biden's, though still some way from an enthusiastic endorsement. Among the public, 40 percent either agree or strongly agree with the claim he's too old to run in November, with 35 percent actively disagreeing, 21 percent neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and 4 percent answering don't know.

However, only 21 percent of those who voted for Trump in 2020 now think he's too old to run again, against 61 percent who disagree. Another 16 percent answered "neither agree nor disagree," while 2 percent answered "don't know."

Among voters as a whole, 40 percent answered yes to the question "should Donald Trump run for re-election in 2024," with 50 percent opposed, and the remainder unsure. However, 78 percent of those who voted Republican in 2020 want Trump to run again against 16 percent who are opposed, with 7 percent unsure.

Focus on Biden's mental abilities intensified earlier this month when Special Counsel Robert Hur, a Trump appointee, issued a report into Biden's handling of classified materials following his time as vice president under Barack Obama.

The report added that the president shouldn't face prosecution in part because "at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

Trump is facing criminal charges over allegations he mishandled classified documents. He has also been charged over claims he orchestrated the payment of hush money to a pornographic actress and broke the law attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election result, both nationwide and in the state of Georgia specifically. He has pled not guilty to all counts and repeatedly said the cases against him are politically motivated.