Half of Americans believe Donald Trump has become angrier and more impatient, according to exclusive research, as questions mount over his health and capacity to serve as President.
The PF Global Research poll for The Mirror found that 45% of voters think Trump has become "less smart" during his second term. Trump, 80, has appeared croaky and cranky on the midterm campaign trail, repeatedly complaining about his gruelling schedule of touring the country to support Republicans facing potential losses in a predicted "blue tsunami".
Voters Question Media Handling and Intelligence
Most Americans (53%) think Trump criticises the media even when they report fairly, while 52% say the President dodges hard questions. The findings come as Trump faces increasing scrutiny over his ability to handle one of the most demanding jobs in the world.
Americans are split on press freedom: 42% say journalists generally try to report the truth, while 38% say they lie to push an agenda. Republicans lean toward saying journalists lie (59%), while Democrats lean toward saying they report the truth (58%).
Rallies Cancelled and Restored
Trump angrily denied being "sick of travelling" on Thursday night after cancelling two rallies days before the Midterm elections. He had been scheduled to visit Kansas on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday, the final events in a month of almost daily rallies.
Instead of appearing in person, Trump planned "tele-rallies" - mass conference calls allowing supporters to hear him speak from the Oval Office. He denied the switch was due to fatigue from travelling, but the in-person rallies were reinstated the following day, a move he grumbled about during what he expected to be his final campaign speech in Florida on Friday night.
Media Bans and Republican Support
Voters have noticed Trump is quicker to anger, frequently snapping at reporters who ask questions he dislikes. Last month he tried to ban several news outlets from the White House, claiming they were "unfair" in their coverage. The ban is currently blocked by the courts.
The poll found almost half of Trump's party (45%) backed his desire to ban reporters over stories he dislikes. Seb Wride, Head of Research at PF Global, said: "For many of the President's supporters, he can do no wrong when it comes to the media. While most Americans think Trump dodges hard questions, most Republicans think he answers them with 45% of his backers even leaning towards banning anti-Trump journalists from White House briefings. But there are signs that shouty exchanges with media might be harming the President's image; half of Americans think Trump has become angrier since he became President."
