Key Points – A recent Economist/YouGov poll indicates that while Americans have concerns about President Trump’s health and transparency, they currently view him more favorably on these aspects than former President Biden.
-The poll found 42% of Americans believe Trump has been “very or somewhat transparent” about his physical health, compared to 34% for Biden.
-Additionally, 31% say Trump’s health and age are “severely limiting his ability to do the job,” versus 58% who retrospectively say the same about Biden. This polling occurs amid scrutiny of Biden’s recently revealed advanced cancer diagnosis and questions about prior disclosure.
Trump and the Health Question?
The health of former President Joe Biden, as well as the idea that his advisers spent much of his presidency downplaying or outright hiding the president’s physical decline, is currently in the news, with the publication of Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s bestselling book, “Original Sin,” as well as the revelation of Biden’s diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer.
While two wrongs don’t make a right, some have been pointing out something else: Donald Trump is also old, as he turns 79 next month, and during his term will overtake Biden as the oldest president in history. Trump is clearly not as sharp, when it comes to speaking, as he was 10 or 20 years ago.
Also, he hasn’t exactly been transparent about his health, either.
And now, there’s polling data to back that up.
What Of His Health?
According to the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, released this week, less than half of Americans believe that Trump “has been very or somewhat transparent about his physical health.” Per the poll, 42 percent of Americans believe that, compared to just 34 percent for Biden.
The poll also found that 62 percent of respondents agree with the statement that “presidents should be required to publicly release all medical information that might affect their ability to serve as president.”
The Economist/YouGov poll also found that 31 percent of Americans say that Trump’s “health and age are severely limiting his ability to do the job as president,” while a majority, 58 percent, say that in retrospect about Biden.
The White House released the results of Trump’s annual physical in mid-April, which stated that the president weighs 224 pounds. This led to the usual ritual of people on social media comparing Trump’s measurements to those of famous athletes, as if to cast doubt on the accuracy of the information released about Trump. But the truth is, athletes’ listed heights and weights are also often inaccurate or outdated.
Other Poll Highlights
The new poll also asked several questions not typically included in recent polls, including about the work of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Health and Human Services secretary. Kennedy himself has job approval and disapproval ratings of 40 percent. Also, 39 percent of respondents say Kennedy “rejects the science on vaccines,” while 26 percent say he follows it.
A majority of Americans, 54 percent, say that “people of all ages should be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines.” And while 77 percent of Americans say “vaccines in general are very or somewhat safe,” just 58 percent say that about the COVID vaccines. There is a major Democratic/Republican split on the question of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. Also, per the poll, “70 percent of Americans say they’ve ever been vaccinated against COVID-19, including 89 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans.”
The poll was taken before Wednesday’s report from NOTUS that the HHS’ recently released “Make America Healthy Again” report cited several studies that do not exist, while misinterpreting others.
“The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,” Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes, cited as the author of the one of the bogus studies, told NOTUS. “We’ve certainly done research on this topic, but did not publish a paper in JAMA Pediatrics on this topic with that co-author group, or with that title.”
Russia and Ukraine
The new YouGov poll also measured Americans’ views on the Russia/Ukraine war.
While 61 percent of respondents say they sympathize more with Ukraine in the conflict, just 4 percent say they favor Russia, while 26 percent say they take neither side.
In addition, “a significant proportion of Americans — 39% — think that Trump sympathizes more with Russia; only 15% believe he sides with Ukraine and 26% say he sides with neither country,” the write-up of the poll said.
About the Author:
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
Fighter Jet Fails
Russia’s Su-57 Felon Stealth Fighter Is a Waste of Rubles
Pingback: Trump's Doctor Says He's 'Excellent,' But 45% of Americans Aren't So Sure - National Security Journal