Gen Z Republicans concerned over Biden's 'retiree' lifestyle, cognitive decline
Gen Z Republican voters Kale Ogunbor, Ryan Edwards and Brilyn Hollyhand discuss concerns over President Biden's advanced age and reports that aides are encouraging him to be more vigilant about his health.
Gen Z voters are growing increasingly concerned about President Biden's mental fitness and "retiree" lifestyle as his approval rating slips to an all-time low in a national poll ahead of the 2024 election.
"I don't mean to rag on the president of the United States, but honestly, he's acting like a retiree," Kale Ogunbor, a Republican Gen Z voter, told "Fox & Friends First" Wednesday. "It's been reported that over 40% of Joe Biden's presidency has been spent on vacation. And I think a lot of Americans, including Gen Z, don't want a president who seems more like he's retired the next four years after 2024."
The president stands at 34% approval in a Monmouth University poll released Monday, with 61% giving Biden a thumbs down on his job performance.
BIDEN REPORTEDLY UPSET BY SINKING POLL NUMBERS
The number is at an all-time low in Monmouth polling since Biden took over the White House nearly three years ago, with voters particularly concerned about his handling of inflation and immigration.
Meanwhile, according to an Axios report, Biden has allegedly refused to acknowledge his age. His "reluctance" has caused "tension" in the West Wing as the first lady and senior aides have reportedly encouraged him to "rest more" ahead of a busy campaign season.
According to another Monmouth University poll, 76% of voters think Biden is too old to effectively serve another term, compared to only 48% who believe the same of Trump.
"Age has definitely been a problem for Biden his whole presidency," Ryan Edwards, another Gen Z voter, said.
"I just think that he is lacking the cognitive ability to lead the country… I feel that over the last four years, we have seen a constant decline in his true ability in leading America, and… I think in order to lead the free world, to lead America, you must make hard and complex decisions in the blink of an eye, and I don't think we have that with Biden."
THESE SIX BATTLEGROUND STATES COULD COST BIDEN THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2024
Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and a surge in COVID-19 cases, mainly among unvaccinated Americans.
The plunge in the president’s approval was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border with Mexico.
"It's been a 'Weekend at Bernie's' at the White House ever since January 20, 2021," Brilyn Hollyhand, another Gen Z voter, said. "Biden is clearly in cognitive decline, is clearly being propped up by his staff. The first lady, as you said, Axios is reporting that the first lady is the real commander-in-chief."
"We, the American people, did not elect… Jill Biden to be the commander-in-chief, so we've got to fix something. We've got to see what's going on here," he continued.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.