Americans Split on Whether Trump Could Handle Job If Crisis Occurs During His Illness, Poll Finds

An ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday shows that Americans are evenly divided when asked if President Trump would be able to handle the duties of the presidency if a national security or military crisis occurs during his illness.

Meanwhile, Republicans expressed 90 percent confidence in the president to handle his responsibilities while sick.

Trump is going on day three of his stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after announcing his positive coronavirus test early Friday morning. In that time, there have been conflicting messages about the state of his health.

The poll also found that Republicans have since become increasingly concerned that they or someone they know will be infected with the coronavirus. Their net concern jumped from 52 percent to 70 percent following Trump’s announcement, while concern among Democrats remained the same at 86 percent.

Additionally, 72 percent of respondents said the president did not take the “risk of contracting the virus seriously enough.” The same percentage said he didn’t take “the appropriate precautions when it came to his personal health.”

Overall, the public’s approval for President Trump’s handling of the pandemic remained at 35 percent, even though more than 3 out of 4 Republicans support it. Only 6 percent of Democrats do.