People in the Czech Republic prefer US President Joe Biden more than they did Donald Trump when the former Republican president’s term was coming to an end in 2020, a poll showed.

With just months before the November US election, 41% of people in Czechia had a positive view of Biden, according to the STEM/MARK opinion survey published on Tuesday.

That compared to 26% of Czechs who saw Trump in a favorable light just over four years ago, the poll showed.

Controversy in the campaign battle between Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, has intensified following the June 27 US presidential debate in Atlanta, where Trump made dozens of false statements and Biden sometimes struggled to articulate his thoughts. For Czechs, who are staunch allies of their fellow NATO member the US, the performance of both candidates was alarming.

“Trump is crazy, but Biden is too old to even form a sentence,” said Jan Oliverius, 36, in downtown Prague.

While Biden’s end-term popularity is higher than Trump’s for Czechs, his appeal has dropped since he took power in 2021, when 55% of Czechs approved of his victory, the poll showed.

US opinion surveys show Trump is leading Biden ahead of the vote. Following the US president’s debate performance, some senior Democrats have called for Biden to withdraw from the race in favor of another candidate.

The former Republican president’s lead is also fueling worry among Washington’s European allies because Trump has criticized NATO and support of Ukraine in its struggle to defend itself against Russia, European leaders fear he could withdraw US backing and undermine security on the continent.

On the streets of Prague, Czechs’ concern has shifted to the competence of the nominees.

“It’s hard to imagine how these big parties are not able to generate younger and more suitable persons,” said Jiri Hajek at the metro station in Old Town Prague.

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