A recent Rasmussen Reports survey found that a majority of likely U.S. voters do not believe President Joe Biden is fully in charge of his duties, with 52% saying others are making decisions for him behind the scenes. Only 38% of respondents believe Biden is truly doing the job of president, a decrease from 40% in 2023.
When asked who is making decisions for Biden, 39% of respondents believe his senior political advisers are running the show at the White House, while 10% say cabinet officials are in control. Nine percent think First Lady Jill Biden is actually in charge, and 32% believe someone else behind the scenes is steering the ship.
Political affiliation plays a significant role in views on Biden’s leadership, with just 15% of Republicans and 29% of unaffiliated voters believing he is truly in charge. Conversely, 67% of Democrats believe Biden is in control.
The survey also gauged respondents’ confidence in Biden’s physical and mental fitness for the job. Only 26% of voters are very confident in Biden’s capabilities, while 18% are somewhat confident, 11% are not very confident, and 44% are not at all confident.
Democrats show more faith in Biden’s mental and physical fitness, with 74% expressing at least some confidence. In contrast, only 23% of Republicans and 34% of unaffiliated voters share this opinion. Interestingly, 53% of voters under 40 are at least somewhat confident in Biden’s abilities, compared to 39% of respondents ages 40-64 and 44% of those 65 and older.
