Do Trump and Harris have the temperament to be president? What Americans said in poll

Do former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have the temperament to be president?

A slight majority of Americans believe Trump does not, while a plurality believe that Harris does, according to a new poll.

In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, 51% of respondents said Trump lacks the temperament to be president, while 41% said he possesses it. Eight percent said they were not sure.

Predictably, when broken down by partisan affiliation, the vast majority of Democrats, 89%, said he lacked the necessary temperament. And, in contrast, 85% of Republicans said he has the right temperament.

A slight majority of independents, 52%, said he lacked the temperament to be president.

A large generational divide also emerged on this question, according to the poll, which was conducted between Aug. 17 and 20 and sampled 1,565 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

Fifty-two percent of those 65 years and older said the former president possesses the necessary temperament, while 58% of 18-29-year-olds said he does not.

A racial gap was present as well, with 48% of white respondents saying he had the right disposition and 70% of Black respondents and 57% of Hispanic respondents saying he did not.

When asked about Harris, 45% of respondents said she possessed the temperament to be president, and 42% said she did not. Twelve percent said they were not sure.

Again, a strong partisan divide emerged, with 91% of Democrats saying she had the necessary disposition and 87% of Republicans saying she did not.

Independents were more split, with 38% saying Harris lacked the necessary temperament and 36% saying she possessed it.

In contrast to Trump, younger Americans were more likely than their older counterparts to express confidence in Harris’ abilities.

Fifty-three percent of 18-29-year-olds said she possessed the right temperament, while 55% of those 65 and older said she did not.

A majority of Black respondents, 68%, said she has the necessary temperament, while 41% of white respondents and 47% of Hispanic respondents said the same.

International crises

Respondents were also asked if they were confident in the candidates’ abilities to “deal wisely with an international crisis” or whether they were “uneasy about” their approach.

A slight majority, 51%, said they were uneasy about Trump’s approach, while 41% said they were confident. Eight percent said they were unsure.

Here, again, a clear divide was present along partisan, generational and racial lines.

Eighty-eight percent of Republicans expressed confidence with Trump’s approach, while 90% of Democrats said they were uneasy. A majority of independents, 52%, also said they were uneasy.

A majority of those 65 and older, 52%, said they were confident, while 59% of 18-29-year-olds said they were uneasy.

Meanwhile, a plurality of white respondents, 48%, expressed confidence in Trump’s abilities to navigate international crises, while 66% of Black respondents and 58% of Hispanic respondents said they were uneasy.

When asked about Harris, a plurality of respondents, 46%, said they were uneasy with her approach to solving global crises, while 40% said they were confident. Fifteen percent — almost double Trump’s share — said they were unsure.

Eighty-five percent of Democrats said they were confident in Harris, while 88% of Republicans said they were uneasy. A plurality of independents, 44%, said they were uneasy, while 25% were confident and 30% were unsure.

Forty-two percent of 18-29-year-olds expressed confidence, while 58% of those 65 and older said they were uneasy.

When broken down by race, the clearest divide emerged among Black respondents, with 63% expressing confidence and just 20% saying they were uneasy.

Meanwhile, 52% of white respondents said they were uneasy and 35% said they were confident. Hispanic respondents were more evenly split, with 42% signaling unease and 41% expressing confidence.

The poll comes as the candidates are entering the final stretch of the race, with the election now less than three months away.

Whoever wins will be tasked with navigating the country through at least two major global conflicts: the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war.

This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Do Trump and Harris have the temperament to be president? What Americans said in poll."