When President Joe Biden takes the debate stage with Donald Trump on June 27, 49% of voters expect him to forget where he is, according to a new poll.
The poll, conducted by J.L. Partners, surveyed 500 “likely general election voters” on June 10-11, most of whom said they expect Trump to win the upcoming presidential debate. Seventy percent of those surveyed expect the 81-year-old Biden to mess up his words, 49% expect him to forget where he is, 41% expect him to walk off the wrong side of the stage, and 40% expect Biden to have issues standing up. Only 39% predicted Biden would win the debate, while 50%, including 13% of Democrats, said they expect Trump to win, according to the poll.
For Trump, almost 80% of likely voters surveyed expect him to interrupt Biden during the debate, 61% think he will tell a rambling story, and 54% expect Trump’s mic to be cut off at some point.
The June 27 debate in Atlanta will be hosted by CNN and moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Per requests from Biden’s team, no live audience will be present. The Biden campaign also demanded that candidates be held to “firm” time limits for their answers and asked for the microphone to be turned off if a candidate tries to speak out of turn.
Biden’s age and mobility have been under the spotlight throughout his time in the White House after he became the oldest president in American history to be sworn in at 78. The president’s frequent gaffes and stumbles have placed doubts about Biden’s capabilities in many voters’ minds, and Democrats across the country have expressed their concern about his age negatively impacting the party’s chances in the upcoming election.
Earlier this year, Biden’s age became the highlight of a special counsel report on his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
“Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017 [with whom he shared classified materials], and in his interview with our office in 2023,” the report said. “We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The special counsel did not recommend any charges against Biden.
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Trump, who turned 78 on Friday, has routinely criticized Biden’s mental lapses and mocked the president for times he has appeared confused by his teleprompter and stage instructions.
“Biden doesn’t know he’s alive,” Trump said at a rally in the Bronx last month, adding, “When he’s finished his speech he can never find the stairs, and when he does it’s not a pretty picture. … We were respected more than our country was ever respected four years ago, and now we’re being laughed at.”
