With Joe Biden stepping out of the race for the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump now stands as the oldest nominee in the history of U.S. presidential campaigns.
This milestone has not gone unnoticed by the voting public. A recent exclusive poll conducted by J.L. Partners for DailyMail.com indicates a significant decline in public confidence regarding the 78-year-old Trump’s ability to effectively fulfill presidential duties.
Voters are increasingly skeptical about Trump’s capacity to thoroughly understand national security briefings, engage confidently with global leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin, or even endure the demands of a four-year term. This shift in perception marks a notable change since the last survey conducted in March.
Now that Biden is no longer in the running and has been replaced by 59-year-old Kamala Harris, Trump loses the opportunity to deflect concerns about his own potential lapses in focus or memory by pointing at an older opponent. The age comparison that once allowed Trump to brush off criticisms of his sometimes rambling speeches or uncertain recollections is no longer available.
Back in March, 56 percent of those surveyed were confident that Trump could recall the names of key staff members, a figure noticeably higher than the 40 percent for Biden at that time. However, with the changing dynamics of the race, voter attitudes appear to be shifting.
J.L. Partners polled 1054 likely voters from August 8 to 9 on a range of issues, as well as what they thought about Donald Trump’s ability to fulfill a range of presidential roles
For example, in March some 56 percent of respondents believed Trump could remember the names of key staff. (At that time the number for Biden was only 40 percent.)
Now the proportion is 46 percent.
In the same way, where once 56 percent believed the former president could stay alert in the middle of a nuclear emergency.
Now it is 49 percent, just four points higher than where Biden was.
Trump’s ability to do the job declined for each of the seven questions, by as much as nine points, in the view of voters.
It shows how the narrative has shifted with the sudden withdrawal of Biden.
James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, said the issue should be a concern for the Trump campaign, although it had not yet reached the sort of level that could end his run.
‘With Biden out of the race, the focus on age has moved onto Donald Trump. And voters do harbor some concerns about that, as our poll shows,’ he said.
‘There is, though, a big but.
‘Unlike with Biden, those concerns never come up unprompted in focus groups. They are not top of mind and, remember this is a guy who was standing waving a defiant fist while covered in blood just a few weeks ago.
‘That represents a lot of things, but infirmity isn’t one of them.’
Donald Trump is on the road this week, trying to define Kamala Harris in the view of voters. But his advanced age is also now under scrutiny without 81-year-old Joe Biden in the race
Biden passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night in Chicago
Trump has endured a rough few weeks. Our poll also found that Harris had eaten into his overall poll lead, leaving him just two points ahead.
And the poll found that voters thought Trump’s age would be a good reason for voting for Harris.
It ranked second of the possible attack line. ‘Donald Trump is too old to be president’ was rated one of the two most persuasive reasons to vote Harris by 35 percent of voters, while 22 percent ranked one of the least persuasive (a net rating of plus 13).
It was beaten only by the argument that Trump would bring more ‘division and chaos,’ which had a net rating of plus 18.
Even so, Trump allies believe age will not be a factor.
J.L. Partners polled 1001 likely voters from Aug 7 to 11, using a mix of online, landline, cell phone and in-app techniques. The results come with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 points
Talk show host and confidant John Fredericks said Trump was sharper than he had ever known him.
‘The Democrats have told us for two years it was not an issue and it didn’t matter,’ he said.
‘Now, all of a sudden, they have a younger candidate and age matters? I mean, the hypocrisy behind what they do is beyond the pale. It’s really laughable. It’s clown show territory.’
The same poll also tested out Republican attack lines, to see which hurt Harris the most with voters.
It found that attacks about her support for a bail fund, blamed for allowing the release of a man who went on to commit murder, could do most damage.
