Declining share of voters describe Biden as "mentally sharp"
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Only about a quarter of American voters describe President Biden as "mentally sharp," according to a new Pew Research study released Thursday.
Why it matters: Biden's disastrous debate performance last month has brought longstanding concerns about his age into sharp focus, sparking concern among lawmakers, staff and donors about his fitness for office.
The big picture: Only 24% of voters say Biden is "mentally sharp," a six-point decline from similar polling done in January, according to the Pew Research study.
- It's also a steep decline from October 2020, when 46% of voters described Biden as mentally sharp.
Between the lines: While the share of voters describing Biden as mentally sharp has steadily decreased over the course of his term, Trump has experienced the opposite effect.
- In October 2020, about 50% of voters rated Trump as mentally sharp, just slightly above Biden.
- Now, 58% of voters describe Trump as mentally sharp — more than double Biden's current rating.
Zoom out: The impact of Biden's debate performance continues to reverberate, with a growing number of congressional Democrats calling on him to exit the presidential race.
- While Biden has insisted he is staying in the race, a new poll published Thursday found that 67% of voters believe he should step aside as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
- The path to picking an alternative is narrowing as the Democratic National Convention rapidly approaches.
Methodology: The new survey by the Pew Research Center was conducted July 1-7 among 9,424 adults. The results have a margin of error of +/- 1.3 percentage points.
