US election 2024 - First polls after debate debacle: Large majority want Biden to give up his candidacy
## Uncertainty about Biden's Fitness for Office Grows
The sad performance of US President Joe Biden in the television debate against Donald Trump is reflected in the attitudes of voters. A growing number of registered voters believe that the 81-year-old should not run for another term, according to a survey conducted by CBS in collaboration with the polling institute Yougov.
Doubts about Biden's Capability to Serve
According to the survey, 72% of registered voters think that Biden does not have the mental and cognitive ability to handle the affairs of the government. Three weeks ago, this figure was still 65%. Trump fares better but 49% of the respondents also consider him unfit for the presidency.
With 72%, nearly three out of four voters told CBS and Yougov that Biden should not have run for the presidency at all. This is an increase of nine percentage points compared to the last survey in February. Alarmingly for the Biden camp, 45% of registered Democrats also want him to withdraw and make way for another candidate.
Of those who say Biden should not run, 86% cite his age as the main reason. 71% base their decisions on the actions he might take in office, and 66% on his record as president.
Biden Maintains Lead Over Trump
Similar findings emerge from a survey published by Morning Consult the day after the television debate. According to this survey, 60% of all voters and 47% of Democrats believe that Biden should be replaced as the presidential candidate. Among those who watched the debate on Thursday evening, 78% consider Biden too old for the presidency, compared to 64% of all voters who held this opinion a few days before the debate.
Bad news for the Biden camp also comes from the non-partisan Democracy Corps, which interviewed a Democrat-leaning voter group before and after the debate. "President Biden was heavily damaged by the debate," the results summary states. However, Trump was unable to capitalize on this.
In line with this, the pollsters from Morning Consult report that Biden's position in direct comparison with Trump, at least initially, was not affected by his debate failure. According to their data, Biden (45%) was able to hold his one-point advantage over Trump (44%) despite the debate debacle.
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Leading politicians of the party, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and her successor Hakeem Jeffries, as well as Senator from Georgia Raphael Warnock, have publicly supported Biden in his bid to continue his presidential campaign. Warnock, who is being considered as a potential replacement, declared on Sunday that Biden "should not in any way withdraw his candidacy." The Senator affirmed, "I am on Joe Biden's side. It is our responsibility to ensure he crosses the finish line in November."
Biden's family is also reportedly encouraging him to continue his race for the White House. During a family gathering at Camp David, the US President's retreat near Washington, they pledged him their "unwavering support" and urged him to keep fighting, according to CNN and the "New York Times." Biden's most influential advisor, his wife Jill, made it clear in an interview with Vogue on Sunday, "We will not allow these 90 minutes to define the four years he was President."
- Despite the growing concerns about Joe Biden's fitness for another term, prominent figures like former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, and Senator Raphael Warnock have publicly supported his candidacy for the US President in the 2024 election.
- Contradicting the sentiments of many voters, Raphael Warnock, who is being considered as a potential replacement, strongly backed Biden, stating that he should not withdraw and should strive to win in the November election.
- In light of Biden's poor performance in the recent debate against Donald Trump, a poll by Morning Consult revealed that Biden still maintained a one-point lead over Trump, with 45% support compared to 44% for Trump, indicating that his debacle did not significantly affect his position.
- The US election of 2024 will see the candidacy of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, with the former facing criticism for his mental and cognitive abilities to handle the affairs of the government, as reflected in the negative survey results.
