According to a new poll, Americans want someone younger and new to the White House in the 2024 presidential race, which could be trouble for the nation’s oldest-serving president and for former President Donald Trump, the only declared Republican candidate to date.
A Wednesday poll from Suffolk University/USA Today shows that a majority of Americans consider 51 to 65 years old to be the ideal age for the country’s next president, preferring someone other than President Biden or former President Trump as candidates.
The poll found that over two-thirds of Americans do not want Biden to run for re-election in 2024, with 67 percent of respondents objecting to Biden seeking a second term.
Biden, who has indicated he will seek a second term throughout the year, turned 80 in November and is the oldest-serving president to sit in the Oval Office. If re-elected in 2024, Biden would be 86 at the end of his second term.
The president told reporters after Election Day last month that he will make a final determination on his re-election bid ‘early next year’ in 2023.
‘I think it’s a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone’s age, including mine. That’s totally legitimate. But I think the best way to make the judgment is to, you know, watch me. Am I slowing up? Am I — don’t have the same pace?’ Biden said in an MSNBC interview leading up to Election Day.
An almost equal share of voters in the Suffolk poll did not want Trump to seek a second term in the White House, with 69 percent of respondents disapproving of a re-run from the former president. Trump recently announced his third run for the White House at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, shortly after the midterm elections.
The poll also found that a majority of Americans don’t care about the gender of the next president. Roughly 55 percent of respondents indicated no gender preference when picking a preferred presidential candidate.
The Suffolk University/USA Today poll was conducted Dec. 7-11, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.