Around this time last year, the internet was abuzz with a debate about whether 100 average men could take a gorilla in a fight. This year’s hypothetical fight is between President Donald Trump and the average American, as well as 8-year-old kids.
According to YouGov polling data released Wednesday, 55% of U.S. adults think they could beat the 79-year-old commander-in-chief in a tussle. However, Republicans were more likely to say they would lose against Trump at around 40%.
YouGov was inspired to ask Americans about coming to blows with the president by Trump himself. During an event to sign a memorandum to restore the Presidential Fitness Test Award for students, Trump asked an 8-year-old boy: “You think you could take me in a fight?”
“We at YouGov thought that was a striking question, and promptly asked 2,609 Americans whether they thought an eight-year-old boy, a typical American, and themselves could win a physical fight with Trump,” the pollsters explained.
Overall, 66% of U.S. adults sad they believe an average American (who would be a just a bit older than 39, per the U.S. Census Bureau) could beat Trump. At the same time, a 45% majority said that Trump could win against an 8-year-old. Democrats went against the grain on that one, with 54% who said the 8-year-old would win.
“YouGov polling has found men are more likely than women to say they would win contests, such as fights with wild animals, tennis points against Serena Williams, and battles with aviation emergencies. That’s true for a hypothetical fight with Trump, too: 64% of men say they could beat Trump, compared to 47% of women,” YouGov noted.
Democrats overall were more confident that they could take Trump in a fight than the general population at 75%, including 71% of Democratic women (compared to 82% of Democratic men). More than half of Republican women (55%) said they thought Trump would win in a fight against them, while a 46% majority of Republican men believed that they would win against the president.
When Trump was on the campaign trail back in 2024, YouGov polling showed that most Americans believed that Trump could beat former President Joe Biden at arm wrestling. At 83, Biden is around four years older than Trump.
