According to a Monmouth University survey, there is growing skepticism among voters regarding whether President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be able to secure their party’s nominations in the upcoming election.
Conducted from February 8 to February 12, the poll indicates that nearly half (48%) of the voters believe it’s likely that Biden will not be the Democratic nominee, with concerns over his age and questions about his physical and mental capacity being the main reasons for this belief.
In contrast, 32% of voters suspect that Trump may not clinch the Republican nomination, primarily due to his legal challenges and, to a lesser extent, health issues.
The distrust towards Biden has been amplified by a recent report from Special Counsel Robert Hur, which describes the president as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”
Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, noted, “The Hur report… probably has done more to reinforce existing views of Biden’s physical and mental vigor.”
This sentiment reflects a broader concern about Biden’s capability to handle presidential duties, as opposed to Trump, who, despite facing 91 felony charges and several civil lawsuits, has a higher percentage of voters (51%) confident in his stamina for the presidency.
In 2020, 45% expressed confidence in Trump’s stamina, while 52% were confident in Biden’s stamina, as reported by Monmouth University.
Similarly, a Siena College poll released on Tuesday, February 20th, revealed that 70% of voters in New York believe President Biden is unfit to serve another four years in the White House.
The poll also found that more than half of New York voters said the same about former President Donald Trump. Only 7% of voters surveyed consider both Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, fit to be president.
The findings reveal a nuanced perspective among the state’s voters; 23% believe Biden is capable while Trump is not, and conversely, 35% see Trump as fit for the presidency as opposed to Biden.
The percentage of Democrats who said Biden is fit to serve stands at only 48%, marking a decline from the results of a Siena poll last September when 62% of voters expressed doubts about Biden’s fitness to serve.
Siena pollster Steven Greenberg stated, “New York voters are not enthused about the likely major party presidential candidates.”
Greenberg added, “While 61% of Republicans stick with Trump and 29% want someone else, only 46% of Democrats want Biden, compared to 38% who want another choice. Pluralities of white, Black, and Latino voters all want their next president to not be named Biden or Trump.”
