Trump Age Concerns Surge as Poll Finds 61% Say President Is ‘Erratic With Age’
The latest national survey shows growing public concern over the president’s fitness for office, with the phrase trump age appearing prominently in voters’ assessments of his conduct. The findings matter because they tie visible health and behavior signals to measurable changes in public confidence and approval.
Development details — Trump Age poll findings
A /Ipsos survey conducted online from February 18 to 23 of 4, 638 American adults found 61% of respondents described the president as becoming “erratic with age. ” Party breakdowns in the poll were stark: 89% of Democrats, 30% of Republicans and 64% of independents used the phrase. The poll also measured assessments of mental fitness: 49% said the president is not mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges, while 45% said he is.
On broader concerns about officeholders’ ages, 79% of respondents said elected officials in Washington, D. C., are too old to represent most Americans. The poll placed the president’s overall approval rating at 40%, a two-point rise from recent measures, while his net approval improved by four points to -18% from prior readings earlier in February and late January.
Context and escalation
Public unease has come into sharper focus alongside a set of high-profile moments and health disclosures that appear linked to perceptions of age and sharpness. The president’s age was cited explicitly in the survey commentary, and media-covered episodes — such as a mistaken reference to Greenland as “Iceland” and an instance where the White House press secretary prompted him on the name of his father’s medical condition — have been noted as visible examples of the concerns voters expressed.
Claims about physical signs have also entered the debate: observers have pointed to bruises on his hands and swollen ankles at official events, and the White House disclosed last year that the president had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, an age-related circulatory condition. In response to the poll, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended the president’s condition, citing his energy and performance and criticizing media coverage as misleading.
Immediate impact
The poll’s results translate into concrete political signals. Nearly half the public judging the president not mentally sharp coincides with slight improvements in overall approval but persistent negative net ratings. The erosion of confidence is visible not only among opposition voters — 89% of Democrats described him as erratic with age — but within the president’s own party: 30% of Republicans labeled him the same, and a portion of Republicans now say he is not mentally sharp.
What makes this notable is the breadth of concern across partisan lines, which can reshape how voters weigh competence and leadership even as approval numbers move modestly. The survey also documented a decline in perceived economic competence over the past year, a factor tied to changing assessments of executive performance among key groups.
Forward outlook
The poll establishes immediate benchmarks: public perceptions measured Feb. 18–23 and the current approval figures set in the same window. Short-term indicators to watch include future public-opinion readings that may register whether small upticks in approval persist or reverse, and whether assessments of mental sharpness continue to shift across party lines. No formal changes in office or new medical disclosures are scheduled within the poll’s findings; the next milestones are subsequent opinion polls that will show whether these attitudes harden or abate.
For now, the data links perceptions of trump age and visible health and behavior signals to measurable shifts in public confidence and approval, leaving political strategists and officials to assess how those views will affect governance and electoral dynamics in the coming months.
