20% Democrat voters think Biden suffers 'some form of dementia' and want him to address it publicly, finds poll
Nearly twenty percent of Democrat voters reportedly believe that former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is suffering from "some form" of dementia, according to a poll released on Monday, June 29. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, a right-wing polling company, also stated that a majority of likely voters responded saying it is important for him to address the issue of his mental health publicly.
The survey, which was conducted between June 25 and 28, asked 1,000 likely voters whether they believed Biden was suffering from some form of dementia. The survey reportedly asked respondents to give their opinion based on the content they watched or read related to the former vice president. The poll reportedly found that at least 38 percent of the total voters in the survey believed he has dementia, while 20 percent of the Democratic voters felt the same. Rasmussen, in its poll results, stated "that compares to 66% of Republicans and 30% of voters not affiliated with either major party."
The poll also asked respondents: "How important is it for Biden to address the dementia issue publicly — very important, somewhat important, not very important or not at all important." The results stated that a majority, 61 percent, of all voters believed that it is "important" for Biden to address the issue publicly while 41% of the respondents deemed the issue "very important." Meanwhile over one-third of overall voters surveyed, 36 percent, believed that it was not an important issue to publicly address, although "fifty-one percent (51%) of both Democrats and unaffiliated voters agree that it is important for Biden to address the dementia issue publicly."
Rasmussen, in its survey, did not define the word "dementia" and provided the Merriam-Webster dictionary explanation in its results. It stated: "According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, dementia is ‘a usually progressive condition (such as Alzheimer’s disease) marked by the development of multiple cognitive deficits (such as memory impairment, aphasia and the inability to plan and initiate complex behavior)'."
The result of the survey coincided with a Restoration PAC poll released last week, which found that nearly 50 percent of voters in key battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin view the former vice president "up the task mentally and physically to handle the duties of president of the United States."
Despite the Rasmussen results, multiple polls released over the recent months suggest that the coronavirus pandemic crisis in the United States has taken a toll on the popularity and electability of President Donald Trump and given a boost to Biden's campaign. Trump, who is currently also facing criticism for his Black Lives Matter protests response, is now trailing to the former vice president by double digits nationally. The projection also shows Trump losing in six battleground states that were key to the Republican's election win in 2016.
An NBC News/WSJ poll's June 2020 figures reflected that Biden is in a much favorable position than former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Trump in the 2016 presidential election, at 37 percent positive, 38 percent negative (-1). Meanwhile, Trump's 2020 figures are at 40 percent positive, 51 percent negative (-11). Out of the total respondents, at least 23 percent of voters have a neutral opinion of Biden, in comparison to 8 percent for Trump right now.