In what can only be described as a full-blown reality check for Donald Trump, a wave of new polling data — including a major survey referenced by Reuters — is laying bare how many Americans are now openly questioning the 79-year-old president’s mental edge as he limps into his first full year of a second term.
The polling landscape right now isn’t pretty. A fresh Reuters/Ipsos poll — one of the surveys highlighted in the reporting — shows “61% of Americans agree with the statement that Trump has become unstable because of age.” That includes Republicans, too: about 30% of GOP identifiers told pollsters they now see the president as growing “unstable and erratic” as he ages.
For a president who campaigned on being sharper and stronger than his predecessor, that’s a political nightmare.
Only 45% of folks nationally now say Trump is “mentally sharp and able to cope with challenges,” a noticeable drop from 54% in a similar survey back in 2023. Even among independents — a group Trump needs to keep at least lukewarm — confidence has cratered.
Sure, you can point at the hardcore wing of his base and say “he’s doing fine there.” But that’s no comfort when even some of those folks are wavering. In both the Reuters and Pew polling referenced, the share of people in Trump’s own coalition who say they’re “very confident” in his mental fitness has slid — from 75% to 66%.
The picture is consistent with other surveys circulating in recent days: a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 56% think Trump lacks the mental sharpness to lead effectively, and a Pew research poll reported that the percentage of Americans who are “very confident” in his capacity has dropped sharply compared to just a year ago.
And the problem isn’t just abstract polling percentages. It’s political math. Trump’s job approval numbers are underwater. A CNN/SSRS survey showed his overall approval around 36–38% going into his big speech, and a majority of Americans telling pollsters that his policies are taking the country in the wrong direction.
This means Trump’s critics will spend the rest of 2026 pointing to these numbers as evidence that the so-called “age and fitness” question isn’t some fringe Twitter take anymore — it’s a central battleground in how the nation assesses his presidency.
