Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made it official on Wednesday after months of speculation that he would jump into the 2024 GOP presidential primary during an event on Twitter Spaces co-hosted by platform boss Elon Musk.
Now, DeSantis will face the party’s biggest figure, former President Donald Trump, who has been leading in most Republican presidential surveys but faces a slew of legal problems, many of which he and other GOP figures believe are politically motivated.
But as the Trump-DeSantis contest plays out, it’s President Joe Biden who got the worst news on Wednesday.
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NPR reports: “A significant majority of Americans say they believe President Biden’s mental fitness is a real concern they have about his ability to be president, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.”
According to respondents, a clear majority of 62% to 36% recognized Biden’s mental fitness as a genuine concern rather than dismissing it as a mere campaign strategy employed by his opponents.
Despite that, Biden experienced a slight increase in his approval rating, reaching 45 percent, which reflects a 4-point rise compared to the previous month. This suggests that a substantial number of individuals acknowledge the concerns surrounding Biden’s mental fitness, yet they still intend to vote for him in the upcoming election.
Still, concerns among respondents about Biden’s mental fitness surpass those of Trump, per NPR: “When it comes to former President Trump, who is also running again, 51% also said his mental fitness is a real concern, 43% said it was not.”
As the oldest president in U.S. history at 80 years old, Biden has faced persistent accusations from the right regarding his mental sharpness.
However, his age has also raised concerns among Democrats, who are apprehensive about whether Biden presents the strongest opportunity for victory in the 2024 election, particularly if the GOP nominates Trump once again as their candidate, the outlet noted.
If he wins, Biden will be 82 when he’s inaugurated for a second term in January 2025. If Trump wins, he’ll be 78.
By comparison, DeSantis, should he win, will just be 46.