Washington, United States. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that six in ten Americans, including a significant share of Republicans, say President Donald Trump has become erratic as he ages. The poll concluded on Monday, a day before Trump’s annual State of the Union address to Congress.
Poll findings on perceptions of Trump
Overall, 61% of respondents said they would describe Trump as having “become erratic with age.” The poll found 89% of Democrats, 30% of Republicans and 64% of independents described him this way. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Approval rating remains largely steady
Trump’s overall popularity has been little changed in recent months. Some 40% of respondents approved of Trump’s performance as president, up two percentage points from earlier this month. Trump started his term with a 47% rating, and his approval has remained within a point or two of its current level since April.
Views on age of political leadership
Most Americans think the country’s political leadership is generally too old. Some 79% of respondents agreed with the statement that “elected officials in Washington, D.C., are too old to represent most Americans.” The average age in the U.S. Senate is about 64, and in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is 58.
Democratic respondents were slightly more likely to call for younger politicians, with 58% saying top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, 75, was too old to work in government.
Context ahead of State of the Union
The six-day poll concluded after a month of angry reprimands by Trump of lawmakers and judges. Trump returned to office in January 2025 at age 78, becoming the oldest president on inauguration day in history.
Since then, he has unveiled new policies and proposals at a rapid pace, ordering sweeping tariffs on imports from dozens of countries and deploying masked federal agents across the country to crack down on unauthorized immigration.
Recent remarks and election backdrop
Trump has often struck an angry tone in public remarks, including last week when he said he was “absolutely ashamed” that the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of his tariffs as illegal. He went on to reinstate a series of new tariffs, arguing he could do so under a different legal authority.
In November, he assailed Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the U.S. military to refuse any illegal orders, calling them traitors who could face execution.
Trump won the 2024 presidential election in part because his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, was widely seen to have lost mental acuity as he aged in office. Biden ended his tenure at age 82, older than any president in U.S. history. Trump is on track to beat that record and will be 80 in June.
How do you view the role of age in evaluating elected officials’ ability to govern?
