Joe Biden and Donald Trump
Ron Adar | Echoes Wire | Barcroft Media via Getty Images; Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
Most voters in six 2020 swing states do not consider either President Donald Trump or Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden mentally fit to be president, according to a new CNBC/Change Research poll.
The findings in the pivotal states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were released Thursday amid a sustained push by the Trump campaign to portray Biden as incapable of handling the demands of office. Most respondents in those states, which will play a huge role in determining the presidential election winner, do not have confidence in Trump’s ability to take on the job, either.
A 51% majority said Trump is mentally unfit to be president, while 49% answered that he is fit to hold the job. A similar share, by a 52% to 48% margin, responded that Biden is mentally unfit to be president.
Voters had more confidence in the presidential hopefuls’ physical fitness to hold the White House. A 52% majority said Trump, 74, is physically fit to be president. Meanwhile, 54% of respondents said the same about Biden, who is 77.
The poll, taken Friday through Sunday, surveyed 4,143 likely voters across the six states and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points. The survey found Biden leading Trump by at least a small margin in all six key states and that most voters disapprove of Trump’s efforts to keep Americans safe.
In a CNBC/Change Research national poll, 55% said Trump was mentally unfit, while 45% said he was fit. Biden was deemed unfit by 52% and fit by 48%. The survey was conducted with 1,902 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.25 percentage points.
The findings about the candidates’ physical fitness for office follow Trump’s doctor’s recent denial of speculation that the president suffered a stroke, mini-stroke or other heart-related emergency.
Spokesmen for both the Trump and Biden campaigns did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
