Full Breakdown
Poll Finds Americans Rate Trump and Biden Similarly on Mental Sharpness
7/23/2026, 3:43:20 AM
New Survey Shows Near-Parity in Perceptions of Presidential Mental Fitness
A Strength in Numbers/Verasight poll conducted July 14-17, 2026 surveyed 1,514 U.S. adults (margin of error ± 2.6 percentage points) and asked respondents to rate the mental sharpness of the sitting president and his predecessor. Forty-six percent judged former President Donald Trump’s mental sharpness as “poor,” while 50 percent gave the same rating to President Joe Biden. The gap between the two leaders on the lowest rating is therefore only four points.
Context: Age and Cognitive Fitness as Long-Standing Political Issues
Concerns about President Biden’s age and occasional verbal missteps dominated political coverage throughout his term and were repeatedly amplified by opponents and conservative media. Those worries became a central Republican line of attack in the 2024 election cycle. Although Trump faced less scrutiny on the same issue while campaigning, his recent entry into his ninth decade has shifted attention toward his own fitness for office, prompting a comparable level of public questioning.
Survey Details and Key Findings
The poll’s full distribution shows Trump outperforming Biden at the top of the scale: 21 percent rated Trump’s mental sharpness as “excellent” versus 7 percent for Biden; both received 17 percent “good.” Fair ratings favored Biden (23 percent) over Trump (13 percent). When combined, 38 percent of respondents rated Trump as either “excellent” or “good,” compared with 24 percent for Biden, indicating that Trump retains a stronger base of voters who view him as mentally capable despite the rising “poor” rating.
Official Reactions
Newsweek’s outreach to the Biden office did not yield a comment.
Implications for Upcoming Elections
With the 2026 midterm campaign season accelerating, the poll suggests that questions of age, stamina, and cognitive fitness will remain central to national debate. The narrowing gap in “poor” ratings indicates that concerns about presidential fitness are no longer confined to one party’s leader, potentially shaping voter attitudes and campaign strategies for both parties in the months ahead.
