Americans actually agree on something in this time of raw discord: Joe Biden is too old to be an effective president in a second term. Only a few years his junior, Donald Trump raises strikingly less concern about his age.

But they have plenty of other problems with Trump, who at least for now far outdistances his rivals for the Republican nomination despite his . Never mind his advanced years 害羞草研究所� if anything, some say, the 77-year-old ought to grow up.

A new poll from finds much of the public oddly united in sizing up the one trait Biden cannot change.

The president has taken to raising the age issue himself, with wisecracks, as if trying to relax his audiences about his 80 trips around the sun.

Age discrimination may be banned in the workplace but the president害羞草研究所檚 employers 害羞草研究所� the people 害羞草研究所� aren害羞草研究所檛 shy about their bias.

In the poll, fully 77% said Biden is too old to be effective for four more years. Not only do 89% of Republicans say that, so do 69% of Democrats. That view is held across age groups, not just by young people, though older Democrats specifically are .

In contrast, about half of U.S. adults say Trump is too old for the office, and here the familiar partisan divide emerges 害羞草研究所� Democrats are far more likely to disqualify Trump by age than are Republicans.

What害羞草研究所檚 clear from the poll is that Americans are saying out with the old and in with the young, or at least younger.

Democrats, Republicans and independents want to sweep a broad broom through the halls of power, imposing age limits on the presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court. In all about two-thirds of U.S. adults back an age ceiling on candidates for president and Congress and a mandatory retirement age for justices.

Specifically, 67% favor requiring Supreme Court justices to retire by a certain age, 68% support age ceilings for candidates for House and Senate, and 66% support age ceilings for candidates for president.

With elders mostly running the show and the Constitution to contend with, don害羞草研究所檛 expect that to happen any time soon.

Even so, the survey suggests are open to seeing a younger face, a fresher one, or both, capture the public imagination.

Among them is Noah Burden, a 28-year-old communications consultant in Alexandria, Virginia. Despite a clear preference for Biden over Trump, he wishes the top contenders for the presidency were closer to his generation.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e too old overall,害羞草研究所� Burden said. That older generation represents 害羞草研究所渁 sense of values and sense of the country and the world that just isn害羞草研究所檛 accurate anymore. It can be dangerous to have that view.害羞草研究所�

Similarly, Greg Pack, 62, a past and possibly future Trump voter in Ardmore, Oklahoma, wishes Biden and Trump would both move along.

害羞草研究所淛ust watching and listening to Biden it害羞草研究所檚 pretty self-evident he is not what he was,害羞草研究所� said Pack, a registered nurse.

Trump? 害羞草研究所淗e is a lot sharper but at the end of his term, who knows?害羞草研究所� Pack said, contemplating January 2029. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 just ready for someone younger.害羞草研究所� He害羞草研究所檚 had about enough of a man who is 害羞草研究所渁ll about himself害羞草研究所� and is 害羞草研究所渨earing his indictments like a badge of honor,害羞草研究所� but if that害羞草研究所檚 who it takes to defeat Biden, so be it.

WHAT害羞草研究所橲 YOUR WORD?

The AP-NORC survey went beyond posing questions and presenting choices. It also had a word association exercise, asking people to offer the first word or phrase that comes to mind at the mention of each man.

The answers underscored how age is a particular drag for Biden across party lines, even when people aren害羞草研究所檛 prompted to think about that, and how Trump largely escapes that only to draw disdain if not disgust on other fronts.

In those visceral responses, 26% mentioned Biden害羞草研究所檚 age and an additional 15% used words such as 害羞草研究所渟low害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所渃onfused.害羞草研究所� One Republican thought of 害羞草研究所減otato.害羞草研究所� Among Democrats, Biden害羞草研究所檚 age was mentioned upfront by 28%. They preferred such terms over 害羞草研究所減resident,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渓eader,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渟trong害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所渃apable.害羞草研究所� One who approves of his performance nevertheless called him 害羞草研究所渟enile.害羞草研究所�

Only 3% in the survey came up with 害羞草研究所渃onfused害羞草研究所� as the first descriptor for Trump, and a mere 1% used 害羞草研究所渙ld害羞草研究所� or the like. Instead, the top words were those like 害羞草研究所渃orrupt害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所渃rooked害羞草研究所� (15%), 害羞草研究所渂ad害羞草研究所� and other generally negative terms (11%), words such as 害羞草研究所渓iar害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渄ishonest害羞草研究所� (8%), along with 害羞草研究所済ood害羞草研究所� and other generally positive comments (8%).

Why the divergence between the two on public perceptions of their age?

害羞草研究所淏iden just seems to be very compromised by age-related conditions,害羞草研究所� said Eric Dezenhall, 60, a corporate scandal-management consultant who has followed Trump害羞草研究所檚 career and worked in Ronald Reagan害羞草研究所檚 White House. 害羞草研究所淓ven people who like him see him as being frail and not altogether 害羞草研究所榯here.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

害羞草研究所淲hatever Trump害羞草研究所檚 negatives are, I don害羞草研究所檛 think most people see them as being related to being disabled in an age-related way,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚n fact, the more you throw at him, the more he seems like a ranting toddler. Disturbing, sure, but elderly? Not necessarily. Trump has been ranting this way for almost eight decades, and it always drives him forward.害羞草研究所�

For Diego Saldana, 31, it hits close to home when he see Biden fumbling some words or taking halting steps.

害羞草研究所淚 see all the symptoms my grandpa had,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淵ou can害羞草研究所檛 be ruling a country害羞草研究所� that way. His granddad now is 94. Saldana supports Trump despite hesitancy over the criminal charges against him.

Eric Colwell, 34, an audit manager in Sacramento, California, came up with 害羞草研究所渙ld害羞草研究所� for Biden and 害羞草研究所渋ncompetent害羞草研究所� for Trump as his first-impression words. An independent who leans Democratic, he sounded a little embarrassed on the phone that the U.S. can害羞草研究所檛 do better than these two.

害羞草研究所淪heer optics,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淥lder gentlemen. You want your leaders, from a visual standpoint, to be spry and energetic. And we tend to fall short.害羞草研究所�

He views Trump, with all his hand gestures and animation, as 害羞草研究所渁 larger figure, a little more lively, just his personality. That gives him that energetic appearance.害羞草研究所� But Colwell is certainly not going there.

害羞草研究所淏iden was a good step to steady the water,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淏iden is more representative of the status quo and normalcy and that害羞草研究所檚 probably what drew everyone initially to him害羞草研究所� after the tumult of the Trump presidency.

害羞草研究所淣ow you have a return to stability. But in terms of moving forward and having any measurable change on my generation, we害羞草研究所檙e probably going to need younger leadership.害羞草研究所�

Alyssa Baggio, 32, is a Democratic-leaning independent in Vancouver, Washington, who works as a recruitment specialist for a homebuilder. She thought Biden was too old for the presidency before he started it. She害羞草研究所檚 convinced of it now and open to voting next year for someone else, just not Trump.

害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 think he害羞草研究所檚 done a terrible job in office,害羞草研究所� she said of Biden, 害羞草研究所渂ut I think that害羞草研究所檚 more because, as opposed to Trump, he surrounds himself with more experienced and logical people.害羞草研究所�

Not that she places great value in experience, except in foreign affairs. 害羞草研究所淒.C. is a swamp,害羞草研究所� she said, 害羞草研究所渁nd the more experience you have, the more you sink into the swamp.害羞草研究所�

Said Jose Tapia, 33, a tech-company videographer in Raleigh, North Carolina, 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 got to be a multitude of younger people who are also super qualified. There害羞草研究所檚 no fresh faces at all.害羞草研究所�

Older Democrats are less negative than younger ones on Biden害羞草研究所檚 decision to run again. In the poll, only 34% of Democrats under 45 want him running for reelection, compared with 54% of those older. Still, about three-quarters of younger Democrats say they害羞草研究所檒l at least probably support him if he害羞草研究所檚 the nominee; others did not commit to that.

RESPECT YOUR ELDERS

All of this is dispiriting to S. Jay Olshansky, a public-health professor and aging expert at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He thinks age, when sizing up a presidential candidate, is no more relevant than eye color and the public害羞草研究所檚 focus on it shortchanges the gift of wisdom and experience.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 sort of the classic ageism that we害羞草研究所檝e been battling for the last 50 years,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭he age of the individual is irrelevant. It害羞草研究所檚 the policies that they bring to the table that are important. And the number of times around the sun just doesn害羞草研究所檛 cut it as an important variable at all.害羞草研究所�

From observing both men from afar and examining their medical records, Olshansky regards Biden and Trump as likely 害羞草研究所渟uper agers害羞草研究所� despite signs of frailty from Biden and Trump害羞草研究所檚 excess weight.

害羞草研究所淏iden is likely to outlive Trump because he has fewer harmful risk factors and he does exercise quite notably, whereas Trump does not,害羞草研究所� he said. But overall, 害羞草研究所渢hey害羞草研究所檙e both functioning at a very high level.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚f you don害羞草研究所檛 like what they say,害羞草研究所� he added, 害羞草研究所渋t害羞草研究所檚 not because of how old they are. It害羞草研究所檚 because you don害羞草研究所檛 like what they say.害羞草研究所�

The poll of 1,165 adults was conducted Aug. 10-14, 2023, using a sample drawn from NORC害羞草研究所檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.