The writing on the wall seems to be clear. Most poll results released after the first presidential debate held in Atlanta on June 27 point to a setback for President Joe Biden, whose performance was widely viewed as abysmal. Two separate polls published on Wednesday confirmed that the debate has put the president on the back foot.
The Match-Up: Former President Donald Trump led Biden by a 48%-42% margin, the results of a Wall Street Journal poll showed. The report noted that this is the widest margin between the two dating to late 2021, with Trump building upon the two-point lead he had in February.
The Journal surveyed 1,500 registered voters nationwide between June 29 and July 2, with the margin of sampling error at +/- 2.5 percentage points.
A poll by New York Times/Sienna College, which surveyed 1,532 registered voters from June 28 to July 2, showed Trump led Biden 49%-43% among likely voters. The former’s three-point lead over the latter ahead of the debate has now increased by another three points to six points. The Times noted that Trump’s lead is the biggest he has recorded ever in its poll since 2015.
Among registered voters, Trump was ahead of Biden by eight points, with the equation at 49%-41%.
What Has Changed: Biden’s age, which has always been a concern in this presidential election cycle, became more concerning after he fumbled and mumbled through the debate, talking incoherently.
WSJ’s poll showed that more than half the respondents used terms such as “abysmal,” “embarrassing” or “confused,” while less than 10% said they were positive about Biden’s performance in the debate.
Trump elicited negative reactions to his debate performance as well. About 50% labeled his performance as “bullying” or “untruthful,” while about one-third made a positive assessment of his performance. Those who viewed Trump’s performance as positive included 31% of independents.
Biden has fallen out of favor with the Democrats, with only 34% viewing him in a favorable light. Less than 40% approve of his handling of key aspects like immigration, the economy, or his office.
About 76% of the Democrats said Biden was too old to run, and a similar proportion of the Republicans said the same about the president. Two-thirds of Democrats would replace Biden on the ballot with another nominee.
On the other hand, far fewer Republicans, at 36%, said Trump was too old to run for office, with one-third wanting to replace him with another Republican candidate.
The Times survey found that Biden's age and acuity are increasingly becoming a widespread concern. “A majority of every demographic, geographic and ideological group in the poll — including Black voters and those who said they will still be voting for him — believe Mr. Biden, 81, is too old to be effective,” the report said.
Overall 74% of voters said the president is too old for the job, a five-point increase since the debate. Concerns about his age among Democrats surged up by nine points to 59%. Following the debate, 79% of independents expressed worries about Biden’s age, nearly matching the percentage of Republicans who felt that way.
Voters A Disgruntled Lot: The Journal’s survey showed 47% of voters called for replacing both Biden and Trump on the ballot if they could, while 53% said they weren’t enthusiastic about anyone running for president.
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