Voters want it by a huge margin Joe Biden And Donald Trump tested for drugs during the upcoming presidential debates, our first poll shows.
More than 70 percent of people want the men to be screened for drugs when they face off on June 27 and then again on September 10, according to a survey by DailyMail.com/TIPP.
Another 18 percent of people said drug testing wasn’t necessary, and 12 percent said they weren’t sure.
Our survey of 1,910 respondents comes after Trump accused his Democratic opponent of being old, weak and using performance-enhancing drugs.
Trump says Biden should be drug tested before their debate CNN headquarters in Atlanta later this month.
Both Democratic voters and Republicans say the candidates should be tested for performance enhancers
Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, in October 2020
The Republican candidate says, without evidence, that Biden was “all worked up” and “high as a kite” when he delivered the State of the Union address in March.
Trump’s claim plays on fears that the 81-year-old president lacks strength and mental clarity due to his age.
The oldest president in US history has been derided as a “gaffe machine” who often jumbles his words and stumbles and falls during public events.
Earlier this year, special counsel Robert Hur released a scathing report labeling him as a ‘well-meaning older man with a poor memory’.
Biden’s unusually energetic State of the Union address was praised White House insiders as proof that the president had enough energy to continue for another four years.
But critics suggested the president might take Adderall or another stimulant to pump him up for the one-hour, seven-minute showpiece.
However, White House medical records show that Biden is taking only the most common medications for allergies, heartburn and to stop blood clots.
While Biden’s energy levels have come under scrutiny, so have Trump, 77 faced questions about being too old for another stint in the Oval Office.
Critics point to his rambling and sometimes incoherent campaign speeches and television appearances.
Against this backdrop, our national research shows that voters believe a pre-debate drug test would be a valuable intervention.
Men and women, and people from all age groups, ethnic backgrounds and US regions, supported drug testing by wide margins.
Trump has accused Biden of being ‘high as a kite’ during his unusually forceful performance at the State of the Union address in March
Still, voters are divided over whether Biden is taking pills to help him in one of the world’s most demanding jobs
There was only a small partisan difference — while 77 percent of Republican voters supported drug testing, a similar 64 percent of Republicans supported drug testing. Democrats felt the same.
Although Trump emphasized that his opponent was “as high as a kite,” few voters turned out believe Biden is using performance-enhancing drugs.
Only 30 percent of respondents said they thought the president uses drugs to help him in his demanding job.
More than 40 percent said no; another 30 percent said they weren’t sure.
The research has a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percent. It was conducted in late May by TIPP, which is known for the accuracy of its polls.
Performance-enhancing drugs usually refer to steroids and stimulants that athletes use to become stronger and faster.
But students preparing for exams and others have turned to amphetamines, nootropics and other drugs to boost test scores.
Others still take small doses of magic mushrooms or cannabis to enhance their work in workplaces across the US.
Our study did not specify whether candidates should be tested for legal or illegal drugs.
This month’s debate in Georgia, a swing state, is seen as a pivotal moment in a tight race between two candidates facing relatively low approval ratings.
Biden’s performance will be watched for signs of waning mental acuity, while Trump is prone to inflammatory rhetoric that excites some voters, but alienates many others.
The debate will air two weeks before Trump is due to be sentenced in New York on 34 counts of falsifying company records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star.
The meeting will be moderated by CNN’s chief political correspondent Dana Bash and Washington anchor Jake Tapper. There will be no live audience.
