A new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday finds that six in ten Americans (61%) see US President Donald Trump as someone “who has become erratic with age.” That figure rises to 89% among registered Democratic voters and 64% among independents; and drops to 30% when the question is answered by Republicans.
The poll also certifies a small improvement in Trump’s popularity, which, however, remains stuck at around 40%. That is two points more than the same survey gave him at the beginning of February, but seven less than when the Republican returned to the White House for the second time in January 2025.
The British news agency publishes its survey on the same day that the president of the United States prepares to fulfill the annual tradition of the speech on In addition to setting the future priorities of his Administration, the appointment will serve to check whether Trump offers that “erratic” performance that the survey attributes to him. For now, he has already warned that it will be a long speech, perhaps the longest in history.
He also took the opportunity to ask a sample of 4,638 American adults throughout the country, who responded online, about the advanced age of the American political class. The survey (with a margin of error of two percentage points) shows that 79% of those surveyed agree with the statement that “elected officials in Washington are too old to represent the majority of Americans.” The average age in the United States Senate is about 64, and in the House of Representatives, 58.
that the leader of his party in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, a 75-year-old New York politician, is too old to hold his position. Schumer is not the only elder on Capitol Hill. There are Senators Chuck Grassley (the record holder, at 92 years old) or Bernie Sanders (84) and Representatives Maxine Waters (87) and Steny Hoyer (86) or the delegate of the District of Columbia, Eleanor Holmes (88).
Biden’s background
When Trump did so for the second time as the oldest man in history to be sworn into office. Until then, that brand was held by his predecessor, Joe Biden, whose only term was marked by doubts about his physical and mental suitability to lead the world’s leading power and by a seclusion of the media that contrasts with Trump’s dizzying pace and constant public exposure. Finally, Biden gave up his effort to run again when these problems became evident.
His continuous dealings with the press, his tendency to give off-script speeches and his extensive and unfiltered use of his social networks have sometimes contributed to fueling rather than dispelling doubts about Trump’s status. Out of tone such as a letter sent to the Norwegian Prime Minister in which he held him responsible for the fact that the Oslo Nobel Committee had not given him the peace prize he craves, last week’s insults to the judges of the Supreme Court or that post in which he said that six Democratic deputies, veterans of the Armed Forces, could be “executed” after publishing a video in which they urged members of the US army to reject any illegal order do not help either.
According to the newly released survey, 45% of those surveyed in February described Trump as “mentally sharp and capable of meeting challenges.” In September 2023, that figure was 54%. Republicans (81%) do continue to consider the president sharp. Among Democrats, the percentage who consider the president capable of meeting the challenges fell in three years from 29% to 19%. The drop among independent Elos was from 53% (in 2023) to the current 36%.
The White House did not respond to the news agency’s questions about the newly released poll.
