White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki did not address a portion of a poll that a majority of Americans doubt President Joe Biden’s mental capacity during an appearance on ABC News.
ABC News’ George Stephanopolous noted during a segment of “This Week” Sunday, “The president is approaching his State of the Union in a pretty difficult political position right now, 37% approval rating, Democrats trailing badly in the midterm polling. A majority in our recent poll out this morning even question the president’s mental capacity.”
He asked, “How is he going to turn that around on Tuesday night? And how much has his State of the Union been changed by this war in Ukraine?”
“Well, George, I think there’s no question that in the State of the Union the American people and anybody watching around the world will hear the president talk about the efforts he has led to build a global coalition to fight against the autocracy and the efforts of President Putin to invade a foreign country,” Psaki responded.
She went on to say Americans will hear Biden’s “optimism and his belief in the resilience of the American people and the strength of the American people. “
“You know, George, from covering State of the Unions for some time, that it is about delivering a message to the public at a moment in time,” Psaki responded.
She continued, “Leaders lead during crises. That’s exactly what President Biden is doing. He’ll speak to that, but he’s also going to speak about his optimism about what’s ahead and what we all have to look forward to.”
However, her answer did not appear to directly respond to the question about Americans doubting Biden’s mental capacity.
Watch the video below:
"Leaders lead during crises. That's exactly what Pres. Biden is doing. He'll speak to that, but he’s also going to speak about his optimism about what's ahead and what we all have to look forward to," @PressSec says before Biden's State of the Union. https://t.co/ZxtHWJgCq3 pic.twitter.com/SnCfYGrWxY
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 27, 2022
Stephonapolous’ question comes after a new ABC News/The Washington Post poll found that just 37% of Americans approve of Biden’s job performance while 55% disapprove.
That is a career-low for Biden.
The survey found that 43% think he can be trusted in a crisis, while 52% disagree. It also showed that 36% view him as a strong leader and 59% do not.
Meanwhile, 40% “think he has the mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively,” which is an 11 point decrease from the spring of 2020. Fifty-four percent do not believe he does.
