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Voxpress:

Americans think Biden is "too old", Trump is "corrupt"

2023-08-28 20:04:27Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Americans think Biden is "too old", Trump is "corrupt"
Trump and Biden during a debate

In a time of deep disagreement, American voters agree on one thing: President Joe Biden is too old to be effective in a second term. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, surprisingly does not raise similar concerns about his age, despite being only a few years apart.

But voters have many concerns about Mr. Trump regarding the criminal charges against him. Although he is 77 years old, respondents think that the former president should become more mature.

A new poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center concluded that much of the public is united about Mr. Biden's age, a factor he cannot change.

President Biden himself has mentioned the issue of age, jokingly, apparently to reassure the public in this regard.

In the poll, 77% of voters said Mr. Biden is too old to be effective in the next four years. This opinion is shared by 89 percent of Republican voters and 69 percent of Democratic voters. This opinion is shared by all age groups, not just young voters, although older Democrats generally support his candidacy for the 2024 election.

In contrast to opinions about Mr. Biden's age, only nearly half of Americans consider Mr. Trump too old for the position of president. But as far as Mr. Trump's age is concerned, Democrats and Republicans differ in their attitudes - it is the Democrats in general who see Mr. Trump's age as a disqualifying element, not the Republicans.

In general, Democratic voters, Republicans and independents, are in favor of setting an age limit for the president, members of Congress and those on the Supreme Court. About two-thirds of Americans support an age limit for the president and Congress, and a certain retirement age for members of the Supreme Court.

The survey assumes that many voters from across the political spectrum are open to new faces in politics.

Among them is voter Noah Burden, a 28-year-old communications consultant from Virginia. Although he supports Mr. Biden over Mr. Trump, he would like the main presidential candidates to be closer to his generation.

"Generally, they're very old," Mr. Burden said. The older generation represents "a set of values, a view of the country and the world, that no longer holds."

Even Greg Pack, a 62-year-old voter for Mr. Trump in the past and likely in the next election, from Oklahoma, would like Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump to clear the way for others.

"You just look and listen to Mr. Biden and it's self-evident that he's not what he used to be," says Mr. Pack, a nurse's aide.

What about Mr. Trump? "He's much sharper, but at the end of the term, who knows?" says Mr. Pack, referring to January 2029. "I'm ready for someone younger." He says he's fed up with a man "who's only focused on himself" and who "presents criminal charges like they're medals of honor," but if this candidate beats Mr. Biden, then he's ready to support Mr. Trump for a mandate.

How do Americans describe presidential candidates?

In the survey, American voters were asked what word comes to mind when they mention the names of the main presidential candidates.

About 26 percent of respondents mentioned Mr. Biden's age, and another 15 percent used words such as "smooth" or "confused." Among Democrats, 28% mention Mr. Biden's age.

Only 3% of respondents described Mr. Trump as "confused", while only 1% used the word "elderly". The top words that voters used to describe Mr. Trump were “corrupt,” or “deceitful” (15%), “evil” or similar negative words (11%), or words like “liar” or “dishonest” ( 8%). Meanwhile, 8 percent of respondents described it as "good" and with other positive attributes.

But why is there such a difference in public opinion about the age of the two candidates?

"Mr. Biden must be very compromised by age-related ailments," said Eric Dezenhall, a 60-year-old consultant who helps corporations manage scandals and has followed Mr. Trump's career and worked in the White House during the former president's administration. Ronald Reagan. "Even those who support him see him as fragile."

"Whatever Mr. Trump's downsides are, most people don't see them as age-related," he says. “In fact, the more you hit him, the more he becomes like a petulant child. Disturbing, sure, but advanced age? Not necessarily. Mr. Trump has held these positions for 8 decades, and it always drives him forward."

31-year-old Diego Saldana seems familiar with Mr. Biden's slurred speech or walking difficulties.

"I see all the symptoms that my grandfather had," he says, referring to his 94-year-old grandfather. "You can't govern a country" that way, he says. Mr. Saldana supports Mr. Trump despite his reservations about the allegations against him.

Eric Colwell, a 34-year-old audit manager from Sacramento, California, described Mr. Biden as "elderly" and Mr. Trump as "incompetent." As a Democratic-leaning independent, he said he feels a little embarrassed that the United States can't provide better candidates.

"It's an image thing," he says. "Old gentlemen. Visually, it wants leaders to be energetic and agile. We're not making it."

Alyssa Baggio, a 32-year-old Democratic-leaning independent in Vancouver, Washington, says Mr. Biden was too old for president even before he took office. It is now convinced and open to voting for another candidate – but not Mr Trump – in the next election.

"I don't think he did a bad job during this term," she says of Mr. Biden, "but it seems to me that this is the result of the fact that he, unlike Mr. Trump, surrounds himself with more experienced and more logical people. "/ VOA


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