Voters by a wide margin want Joe Biden and Donald Trump to be drug tested in the upcoming presidential debates, our first-of-its-kind poll shows.
70 percent of people want men to be screened for drugs when they meet on June 27 and then again on September 10, a DailyMail.com/TIPP poll reveals.
Another 18 percent of people said drug testing was not necessary and 12 percent said they were not sure.
Our survey of 1,910 respondents comes after Trump accused his Democratic opponent of being old and weak and of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Trump says Biden should take a drug test before their debate at CNN headquarters in Atlanta later this month.
Both Democratic and Republican voters say candidates should be evaluated for performance improvers.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off in October 2020 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee
The Republican candidate says, without evidence, that Biden was “hyped up” and “high as a kite” when he gave the State of the Union address in March.
Trump’s accusation fuels fears that the 81-year-old president lacks stamina and mental clarity because of his age.
The oldest president in US history is derided as a “gaffe machine” who often muddles his words and has stumbled and fallen at public events.
Earlier this year, special prosecutor Robert Hur released a damning report painting him as a “well-intentioned old man with a bad memory.”
Biden’s unusually energetic State of the Union address was hailed by White House insiders as evidence that the president had enough energy to go the distance for another four years.
But critics suggested the president took Adderall or some other stimulant to pump himself up for the 1-hour, 7-minute masterpiece.
However, White House medical records show Biden only takes more common medications for allergies, heartburn and to stop blood clots.
While Biden’s energy levels are under scrutiny, Trump, 77, has also faced questions about being too old for another term in the Oval Office.
Critics point to his rambling and sometimes incoherent campaign speeches and television appearances.
In this context, our nationwide polling shows that voters feel that a pre-debate drug test would be a worthwhile intervention.
Men and women, and people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and regions of the United States, supported drug testing by wide margins.
Trump accused Biden of being “high as a kite” during his unusually vigorous performance at the State of the Union address in March.
Still, voters are divided over whether Biden takes pills to help him in one of the most demanding jobs in the world.
There was only a small partisan difference: While 77 percent of Republican voters supported drug testing, a comparable 64 percent of Democrats felt the same.
Although Trump noted that his opponent is “high as a kite,” few voters believe Biden takes performance-enhancing drugs.
Only 30 percent of respondents said they thought the president uses drugs to help him in his demanding job.
40 percent said no; another 30 percent said they were not sure.
The survey has a margin of error of +/-2.4 percent. It was carried out at the end of May by the TIPP, which stands out for the precision of its surveys.
Performance-enhancing drugs generally refer to steroids and stimulants that athletes take to become stronger and faster.
But students preparing for exams and others have turned to amphetamines, nootropics and other drugs to improve their grades.
Others still take small doses of magic mushrooms or cannabis to improve their performance in workplaces across the United States.
Our survey 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 who have suffered from relatively low approval ratings.
Biden’s performance will be watched for signs of his declining 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 scheduled to be sentenced for his conviction in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star.
It will be moderated by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash and Senior Washington Anchor Jake Tapper. There will be no live audience.