Poll: 34% of voters think Biden would complete 2nd term if re-elected
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President Biden on the south lawn of the White House on Sunday. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Only 34% of registered U.S. voters think President Biden would complete a second term if re-elected, 44% believe he'd leave before it ended and 22% are unsure, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll.
By the numbers: That compares with 55% who think the 80-year-old's closest presidential election rival, 77-year-old former President Trump, would finish a full term if elected in 2024.
- However, 29% believe Trump would leave before his term ended and 16% are not sure, according to the poll that was published Sunday.
Meanwhile, 26% of those polled believe only Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president.
- That compares to 44% who said the same about Trump — though 23% said neither of them do. Only 7% thought they both do.
The big picture: The poll that surveyed 4,002 U.S. adult residents from Sept. 12-15 is the latest to indicate that voters are more concerned about Biden's age and mental and cognitive health than Trump's, despite there being only three years difference between them.
Zoom out: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week said the ages of both Biden and Trump were "absolutely a legitimate concern" for voters.
- While Biden is the oldest sitting president and would be 86 at the end of a second term, he has said voters should judge him on his energy level and not his age and that the "only thing that comes with age is a little wisdom."
- Trump said last week that Biden is "not too old" to be president, but called him "incompetent."
Of note: The latest CBS News/YouGov poll that had a margin of error 2.1% shows a close race between Biden and Trump, with 49% backing Biden and 50% saying they'd vote for Trump — with 1% not sure.
- And 52% said they believed Trump would have more presidential power if elected than he did in his last term, with 75% saying if this were to happen it would be a bad thing.
What they're saying: A spokesperson for Trump said in an emailed statement on Sunday night that the poll echoed previous ones showing the former president would beat Biden in an election, and that this would happen.
- Trump is "the only person who can supercharge the economy, secure our border, safeguard communities, and put an end to unnecessary wars," added the spokesperson, who did not immediately address questions on the poll findings about Trump completing his first term.
- Representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Read the poll in full, via DocumentCloud:
Go deeper: America's aging leaders on display
