WASHINGTON: A poll finds that a growing share of US adults doubt that 81-year-old President Joe Biden has the memory and acuity for the job, turning his coming State of the Union address into something of a real-time audition for a second term.
Roughly 6 in 10 say they’re not very or not at all confident in Biden’s mental capability to serve effectively as president, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s a slight increase from January 2022, when about half of those polled expressed similar concerns.
By the same token, nearly 6 in 10 also say they lack confidence in the mental capability of former President Donald Trump, the 77-year-old Republican front-runner.
For many voters, this year’s election looks like a showdown for the world’s toughest job between two men who are well beyond the standard retirement age. The next president will probably need to steer through global conflicts, fix domestic emergencies and work with a dysfunctional Congress.
Biden is likely to address those challenges and more in his State of the Union address on Thursday as he tries to convince Americans that he deserves another term.
Going into the big event, just 38 percent of US adults approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, while 61 percent disapprove. Democrats (74 percent) are much likelier than independents (20 percent) and Republicans (6 percent) to favor his performance. But there’s broad discontent on the way Biden is handling a variety of issues, including the economy, immigration and foreign policy.
About 4 in 10 Americans approve of the way Biden is handling each of these issues: health care, climate change, abortion policy and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But people are less satisfied by Biden’s handling of immigration (29 percent), the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians (31 percent) and the economy (34 percent) — all of which are likely to come up in the speech before a joint session of Congress.
Nearly 6 in 10 (57 percent) Americans think the national economy is somewhat or much worse off than before Biden took office in 2021. Only 3 in 10 adults say it’s better under his leadership. Still, people are more optimistic about the state of their own bank accounts: 54 percent say their personal finances are good.
Many respondents to the survey were deeply pessimistic about their likely choices in November because of age and the risk of cognitive decline.
Paul Miller, himself 84, said Biden is just too old — and so is Trump.
“He doesn’t seem to have the mental whatever to be a president,” Miller said of Biden. He added that Trump is “too old, too, and half crazy.”
The retiree from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, said he voted for Trump in 2020 but he wouldn’t do so again.
“I don’t think I’m going to vote for either one of them,” he said. “I hope somebody else is available.”
The president faces added pressure about his age after unflattering descriptions of him contained in a special counsel’s report that did not recommend criminal prosecution of Biden for his mishandling of classified records, unlike Trump who was indicted for keeping classified material in his Florida home. The report said that Biden’s memory was “hazy,” “fuzzy,” “faulty,” “poor” and had “significant limitations.”
Biden has tried to deflect concerns by joking about his age and taking jabs at Trump’s own gaffes. Yet the president’s age is a liability that has overshadowed his policy achievements on infrastructure, manufacturing and addressing climate change.
About one-third of Democrats said they’re not very or not at all confident in Biden’s mental capability in the new survey, up from 14 percent in January 2022. Only 40 percent of Democrats said they’re extremely or very confident in Biden’s mental abilities, with approximately 3 in 10 saying they’re “somewhat” confident.
And in a major risk for Biden, independents are much more likely to say that they lack confidence in his mental abilities (80 percent) compared with Trump’s (56 percent).
Republicans are generally more comfortable with Trump’s mental capabilities than Democrats are with Biden’s. In the survey, 59 percent of Republicans are extremely or very confident that Trump has the mental abilities to be president. An additional 20 percent are somewhat confident, and 20 percent are not very or not at all confident.
But if there is one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree upon, it’s that the other party’s likely nominee is not mentally up to the task. About 9 in 10 Republicans say Biden lacks the mental capability to serve as president, while a similar share of Democrats say that about Trump.
Part of Biden’s problem is that his policies have yet to break through the daily clutter of life.
Sharon Gallagher, 66, worries about inflation. She voted for Biden in 2020, but believes he has not done enough for the economy. She also feels Trump is a bit too quick to anger. The Sarasota, Florida, resident said she doesn’t have the bandwidth to really judge their policies.
“I don’t pay enough attention to politics to even know,” Gallagher said. “I have grandchildren living with me and I have children’s shows on all day.”
Justin Tjernlund, 40, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, said Biden “seems like he’s mostly still there,” but even if he was in decline he has “a whole army of people to help him do the job.” Trjenlund said he voted for Trump in 2020 and plans to do so again because the Republican is “interesting” and “refreshing.”
Still, because of both candidates’ ages, Greg Olivo, 62, said he plans to focus on Vice President Kamala Harris and whomever Trump, if he’s the nominee, picks for a running mate.
“Keep a close eye on the vice president,” said the machinist from Valley City, Ohio, who voted for Biden in 2020 and would do so again. “Because that person will probably be the president in four years, one way or another.”
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As Biden prepares to address the nation, more than 6 in 10 US adults doubt his mental capability
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As Biden prepares to address the nation, more than 6 in 10 US adults doubt his mental capability
- Roughly 6 in 10 say they’re not very or not at all confident in Biden’s mental capability to serve effectively as president
- Nearly 57 percent Americans think the national economy is somewhat or much worse off than before Biden took office in 2021
Striking Argentine workers clash with police in protest over labor reforms
BUENOS AIRES: Shops and supermarkets closed, flights were canceled and garbage piled up Thursday as Argentine workers staged their fourth general strike of President Javier Milei’s term, some clashing with police.
The few buses running in Buenos Aires were nowhere near full, although car traffic was unusually heavy as many workers observed the 24-hour strike against a contentious labor reform.
Dozens of flights were canceled and train stations were left deserted with only a handful of buses running, AFP observed.
On roads leading into the capital, small groups of protesters blocked traffic.
Later in the day, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside parliament, where a few dozen participants engaged in running battles with police, throwing bottles and stones.
Officers replied with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to clear the area.
Police were observed making about a dozen arrests.
The CGT labor federation said more workers adhered to the walkout call than during any of the previous three strikes.
“It has levels of compliance like never before under this government,” union leader Jorge Sola told Radio con Vos, claiming that “90 percent of activity had stopped.”
The contested reforms pushed by budget-slashing Milei, an ideological ally of US President Donald Trump, would make it easier to hire and fire workers in a country where job security is already hard to come by.
It would also reduce severance pay, limit the right to strike, increase work hours and restrict holiday provisions.
The measure was approved by the chamber of deputies in the early morning hours of Friday, and will go back to the Senate for a final green light.
“I want to work because I am afraid of losing my job but I cannot get there. I will have to walk,” Nora Benitez, a 46-year-old home caregiver, said ahead of a five kilometer (three mile) trek to her job along streets reeking of uncollected garbage.
- Reforms spark protests -
The labor action comes as Argentina’s economy is showing signs of a downturn in manufacturing, with more than 21,000 companies having shuttered in two years under Milei.
He had come to power after wielding a chainsaw at rallies during the 2023 election campaign to symbolize the deep cuts he planned to make to public spending.
Unions say some 300,000 jobs have been lost since Milei’s austerity measures began.
Most recently, Fate — Argentina’s main tire factory — on Wednesday announced the closure of its plant in Buenos Aires, prompting some 900 job cuts.
The last general strike in Argentina was on April 10, 2025, but adherence was uneven as workers in the public transport system did not join.
Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in Buenos Aires as senators debated the reform bill, and clashes with police resulted in about 30 arrests.
On Tuesday, the government issued an unusual statement warning reporters about the “risk” of covering protests, and announced it would establish an “exclusive zone” from which the media can work.
“In the event of acts of violence, our forces will act,” a statement from the security ministry said.
Almost 40 percent of Argentine workers lack formal employment contracts, and unions say the new measures will make matters worse.
But the government argues they will in fact reduce under-the-table employment and create new jobs by lowering the tax burden on employers.
Milei, in office since December 2023, has achieved at least one of his macroeconomic goals: bringing annual inflation down from 150 percent to 32 percent in two years.
But it is a success that has come at the cost of massive public sector job cuts and a drop in disposable income that has sapped consumption and economic activity.
Milei will follow Thursday’s events at home from Washington, where he attended the first meeting of Trump’s “Board of Peace,” which has drawn criticism as an attempt to rival the United Nations.
The few buses running in Buenos Aires were nowhere near full, although car traffic was unusually heavy as many workers observed the 24-hour strike against a contentious labor reform.
Dozens of flights were canceled and train stations were left deserted with only a handful of buses running, AFP observed.
On roads leading into the capital, small groups of protesters blocked traffic.
Later in the day, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside parliament, where a few dozen participants engaged in running battles with police, throwing bottles and stones.
Officers replied with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to clear the area.
Police were observed making about a dozen arrests.
The CGT labor federation said more workers adhered to the walkout call than during any of the previous three strikes.
“It has levels of compliance like never before under this government,” union leader Jorge Sola told Radio con Vos, claiming that “90 percent of activity had stopped.”
The contested reforms pushed by budget-slashing Milei, an ideological ally of US President Donald Trump, would make it easier to hire and fire workers in a country where job security is already hard to come by.
It would also reduce severance pay, limit the right to strike, increase work hours and restrict holiday provisions.
The measure was approved by the chamber of deputies in the early morning hours of Friday, and will go back to the Senate for a final green light.
“I want to work because I am afraid of losing my job but I cannot get there. I will have to walk,” Nora Benitez, a 46-year-old home caregiver, said ahead of a five kilometer (three mile) trek to her job along streets reeking of uncollected garbage.
- Reforms spark protests -
The labor action comes as Argentina’s economy is showing signs of a downturn in manufacturing, with more than 21,000 companies having shuttered in two years under Milei.
He had come to power after wielding a chainsaw at rallies during the 2023 election campaign to symbolize the deep cuts he planned to make to public spending.
Unions say some 300,000 jobs have been lost since Milei’s austerity measures began.
Most recently, Fate — Argentina’s main tire factory — on Wednesday announced the closure of its plant in Buenos Aires, prompting some 900 job cuts.
The last general strike in Argentina was on April 10, 2025, but adherence was uneven as workers in the public transport system did not join.
Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in Buenos Aires as senators debated the reform bill, and clashes with police resulted in about 30 arrests.
On Tuesday, the government issued an unusual statement warning reporters about the “risk” of covering protests, and announced it would establish an “exclusive zone” from which the media can work.
“In the event of acts of violence, our forces will act,” a statement from the security ministry said.
Almost 40 percent of Argentine workers lack formal employment contracts, and unions say the new measures will make matters worse.
But the government argues they will in fact reduce under-the-table employment and create new jobs by lowering the tax burden on employers.
Milei, in office since December 2023, has achieved at least one of his macroeconomic goals: bringing annual inflation down from 150 percent to 32 percent in two years.
But it is a success that has come at the cost of massive public sector job cuts and a drop in disposable income that has sapped consumption and economic activity.
Milei will follow Thursday’s events at home from Washington, where he attended the first meeting of Trump’s “Board of Peace,” which has drawn criticism as an attempt to rival the United Nations.
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