Across the globe, the U.S. faces a growing list of dangerous foreign policy challenges. But is the 80-year-old President Joe Biden, with growing signs of age-related mental issues, up to the task? A large majority of Americans, including Democrats, say no, according to the latest I&I/TIPP Poll.
Global dangers abound. China’s engaged in a massive military buildup and poised to attack Taiwan. Meanwhile, Russia wages a bloody war with U.S.-supported Ukraine. In the Mideast, Iran’s nuclear program nears completion, and the U.S.’ 2021 Afghanistan departure has left a power vacuum across the region. This is just a partial list of growing threats.
With these in mind and a looming presidential election, the online I&I/TIPP Poll asked 1,351 adults around the country: “How concerned are you that Biden’s age and mental capacity pose a national security threat?” The poll, taken from Aug. 30-Sept. 1, has a margin of error of +/-2.7 percentage points.
The response was clear: After rounding the data, 70% of all respondents said they were either “very concerned” (44%) or “somewhat concerned” (25%). Just 15% answered “not very concerned,” while 13% said “not at all concerned,” for a total of 28%.
Even a majority of Democrats (54%) were concerned Biden’s fading mental acuity posed a national security risk, while 43% said they weren’t.
Republicans expressed the greatest concern, at 92%, versus just 7% saying they weren’t. As is often the case, independents straddled the two major parties, with 67% choosing “concerned” in response to Biden’s evident mental issues, while 29% selected the “unconcerned” categories.
In fact, only one group among the 36 that the I&I/TIPP Poll follows each month has a reading below 50% and has more people saying they’re “not concerned”: Self-described liberals, at 48% “concerned” vs. 49% “unconcerned.”
By contrast, self-described moderates were 70% concerned, 28% unconcerned, while conservatives stood at 88% and 11%.
In short, virtually everyone worries about Biden’s mental faculties as he navigates the treacherous waters of overseas politics, diplomacy and military affairs.
Even within the Democratic Party, there’s growing concern over Biden as the presidential candidate for 2024. And with good reason.
Just last week, a poll by the Associated Press and the Norc Center for Public Affairs showed 77% thought that Biden was too old for a second term, including 89% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats. Meanwhile, the same poll found just 51% of Americans felt the same about 77-year-old former President Donald Trump.
And a new book by the Atlantic’s Franklin Foer claims Biden privately admits he’s “tired.”
“It was striking that he took so few morning meetings or presided over so few public events before 10 a.m. His public persona reflected physical decline and time’s dulling of mental faculties that no pill or exercise regime can resist,” Foer wrote. “In private, he would occasionally admit that he felt tired.”
It hasn’t helped that Biden has spent close to a year on vacation, a record, before completing his third year in office.
This image of mental feebleness and age poses a serious problem for Biden as he seeks re-election in 2024. But they might not have been so important if not for one major issue: Afghanistan.
Many Americans are still angry and over the U.S.’ abrupt, bungled departure from Afghanistan in 2021, handing control to the Muslim extremist Taliban movement. Hundreds of American citizens in the country were left to fend for themselves, as billions of dollars worth of U.S. military equipment were left to terrorists. The fiasco ended with the deaths of 13 Americans during the chaotic U.S. exodus.
“Within days of the withdrawal, Biden’s poll numbers went down, with a majority of Americans disappointed in his handling of the withdrawal,” wrote Politico recently.
And his poll numbers have never recovered. Even so, when it comes to national security, Afghanistan’s the least of Biden’s troubles.
Energy: By killing the Keystone pipeline, restricting oil and natural gas drilling, and taking millions of acres off the table for the extraction of, and exploration for, new energy sources, Biden ended America’s brief energy independence under former President Trump. He also drained the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower gas prices just before the 2022 congressional elections, while spending hundreds of billions of dollars on wasteful wind and solar projects. Today, as Americans struggle, gasoline prices are double what they were in April of 2020.
Immigration: A record flood of 2.3 million illegal immigrants has crossed the U.S. border since Biden took office, including thousands of terrorists, cartel members, and violent criminals. Local communities now struggle with soaring costs and crime. At the federal level alone, illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers roughly $151 billion a year, even after adjusting for taxes paid by those here illegally. But the debate is not just about dollars: The border surge of the deadly opioid fentanyl now claims more than 100,000 American lives a year.
Ukraine: Biden called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “minor incursion” and initially refused military aid. Since then, Biden has enthusiastically embraced Ukraine’s fight, spending more than $100 billion. With both China and Iran backing Russia, the potential for a wider conflict is clear.
Military readiness: By focusing on “white supremacy,” transgenderism, and DEI issues in the armed forces, Biden’s policies have contributed to a decline in U.S. military readiness and hamstrung recruiting efforts.
China: Under communist leader Xi Jinpeng, Beijing has expanded military spending faster than its economic growth, even as it deals with a slumping economy and rising unemployment. Xi’s long-term goal is clear: Dominate Asia and push the U.S. out. And his “belt and road initiative” seeks to displace U.S. influence around the developing world.
With such a formidable lineup of national security issues, it’s no wonder Biden struggles in polls. His image of feebleness and advancing age poses a serious problem for his re-election bid.
As I&I/TIPP Poll results show, these will be major issues for candidate Biden in 2024 during this time of growing global turmoil and instability. Will Democrats use his mental infirmities and age as the lever to remove Biden from the campaign trail and into retirement?
I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past five presidential elections.
Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.
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TIPP Takes
Geopolitics And Geoeconomics
1. Russia Attacks Ukraine Grain Port Ahead Of Putin-Erdogan Talks – Al Jazeera
Ukraine downs 17 drones over Izmail port on the Danube River as Russian and Turkish leaders prepare to discuss Ukrainian grain exports.
One of Russia’s main demands to revive the grain deal is to reconnect the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT international payments system. The European Union cut it off in June 2022.
2. Zelenskyy Replaces Ukraine’s Defense Minister Reznikov – A.P.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he was replacing Kyiv’s defense minister Oleksiy Reznikov, calling for “new approaches” in the ministry a year and a half into Russia’s invasion.
Reznikov, appointed three months before Moscow’s invasion, has led Kyiv’s negotiations to equip its forces with modern weaponry from allies. During the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s defense ministry has been rocked by some corruption scandals.
3. South Africa Says Inquiry Finds No Evidence Of Arms Shipment To Russia – BBC
An independent inquiry has found no evidence that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.
The panel rejected claims made by the U.S. ambassador to South Africa that a Russian ship was loaded with ammunition and arms in Cape Town last December.
The allegations raised questions about the country’s professed neutrality in the war with Ukraine.
4. Russia Commemorates WWII Victory Over Japan On Disputed Islands – Kyodo News
Russia held events on the islands of Kunashiri and Shikotan, disputed with Japan to commemorate its World War II victory over the country after changing the name of the anniversary to include the phrase “militaristic Japan.”
The name of its victory commemoration was changed from “The Day of the End of World War II” to “The Day of Victory Over Militaristic Japan and the End of World War II.” The anniversary is celebrated on Sept. 3, the day after Japan’s surrender in the war in 1945.
5. Biden Disappointed Xi Will Not Attend G20 Summit – BBC
“I am disappointed… but I am going to get to see him,” Mr. Biden told reporters but did not say when that meeting may occur.
News reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with preparations for the annual meeting, say Mr. Xi does not plan to attend this year’s summit. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at the summit in Delhi this week, Reuters reported.
6. Patience Over China Is Wearing Thin In U.S. Businesses: Raimondo – WION
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned China in an interview broadcast that American companies deserved a “predictable environment and a level playing field.
Raimondo, who was in China recently, said that though some actions of the Chinese government were positive, the on-ground situation needed to match the rhetoric.
7. China Takes Larger Slices Of EV, Battery, Other Key Markets: Nikkei Asia
A Nikkei survey shows that Chinese companies have expanded their presence in the markets for cutting-edge materials, electric vehicles, and 16 other key products and services.
Despite the U.S. and other countries trying to ensure their economic security by assuming protectionist crouches, they are finding it difficult to reduce their reliance on Chinese supply chains for EVs and other products.
8. Fake Chinese Tourists Accessed U.S. Military Bases, Sites Over 100 Times: Report – Reuters
Chinese nationals, at times posing as tourists, have accessed military bases and sensitive sites in the U.S. as many as 100 times in recent years, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials who described the incidents as potential espionage threats.
The gatecrashers ranged from Chinese nationals found crossing into a U.S. missile range in New Mexico to scuba divers swimming in murky waters near a U.S. government rocket launch site in Florida.
9. Chinese Retailers Speed Up Closings As Online Shopping Takes Hold – Nikkei Asia
Major Chinese retailers are shutting down stores rapidly as they cannot lure back customers who switched to online shopping during pandemic lockdowns.
10. Iran Adds Russian Combat Trainer Jets To Air Force – Media – AFP
“A number of Yak-130 training aircraft entered the country and joined the Shahid Babaei Air Base in Isfahan” in central Iran, according to Tasnim news agency.
The agency, quoting the army’s public relations department, said the arrival of the Yakovlev Yak-130 came as part of the Islamic Republic’s “arms contracts with the Russian Federation.”
11. North Korea Conducted ‘Simulated Tactical Nuclear Attack’: KCNA – Yonhap
North Korea conducted a drill for a “simulated tactical nuclear attack,” state media said, a day after the North fired cruise missiles following a major joint exercise between South Korea and the U.S.
South Korea’s military expressed skepticism over North Korea’s claims that it successfully carried out its simulated tactical nuclear strike mission.
12. BRICS’s Six New Members To Have GDP Share Of Just 11 Percent: Report – WION
The six new members of the five-member BRICS grouping of emerging economies would have a combined GDP share of barely 11 percent as of January, with Saudi Arabia contributing the most at 4 percent.
According to an SBI Research analysis, the proposed membership of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will increase the five-member BRICS group’s share of the global GDP to 30 percent from the current 26 percent and its population share to 46 percent.
13. India Burns More Coal For Power As Dry Weather Sparks Blackout Fears – Al Jazeera
India has stepped up the use of coal to generate electricity to stop outages caused by lower hydroelectricity output, as an increase in renewables is struggling to keep pace with record power demand.
The driest August in more than a century has resulted in power generation surging to a record 162.7 billion kilowatt hours (units), according to an analysis by the Reuters news agency.
14. Massive Copper Theft Scandal Sends Shockwaves Through Metal Market
Europe’s top copper producer might have fallen victim to a massive theft, potentially leading to losses of several hundred million euros.
Hamburg-based Aurubis ‘found discrepancies’ in its metal inventories. It said suppliers had manipulated details about the scrap metal shipments, with even its employees in the sampling department covering up the scam.
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Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
