NYT Poll "Biden 41% vs Trump 49%"
Dozens of Democratic House Members Sign Petition Urging Resignation
NYT "Biden Mentions Possible Withdrawal to Close Aides"
After President Joe Biden suffered a complete defeat in the first presidential debate held last week, polls showed him trailing former President Donald Trump. Following reports that Biden mentioned the possibility of withdrawing from the race to his close aides, dozens of Democratic House members are considering circulating a petition demanding his resignation, indicating increasing pressure on President Biden to withdraw his candidacy.
According to a poll conducted by The New York Times (NYT) and Siena College from September 28 to October 2, immediately after the TV debate, surveying 1,532 registered voters, President Biden's approval rating was recorded at 41%, trailing former President Trump (49%) by 8 percentage points. Before the TV debate, former President Trump led President Biden by 6 percentage points.
Among the active voting population, Biden's support was 43%, trailing Trump’s 49% by 6 percentage points.
Among respondents, 74% said President Biden is too old to perform his duties.
Among Democratic supporters, 48% responded that Biden should remain the presidential candidate, down 4 percentage points from 52% before the debate.
The NYT reported, "After President Biden’s debate defeat, former President Trump is widening the gap in the presidential race," adding, "Concerns are growing among Democrats and independents that President Biden is too old for re-election."
Other polls also showed that the gap in support between President Biden and former President Trump widened after the TV debate.
A CBS News poll, conducted during the same period by YouGov surveying 2,828 registered voters, showed that in battleground states critical to the election outcome, Biden’s support was 48%, trailing Trump’s 51% by 3 percentage points. In the same poll last month, Biden led Trump by 1 percentage point in battleground states, with 50% to 49%.
President Biden’s poor polling performance is attributed to the aftermath of last week’s TV debate. At 81 years old this year, Biden showed signs of aging risk, such as stammering and staring into space, unlike former President Trump. Subsequently, calls for a candidate replacement surged within and outside the Democratic Party, intensifying pressure on Biden to resign. Bloomberg News reported that dozens of Democratic House members are considering circulating a petition urging President Biden to withdraw from the primary race.
Among this, the NYT also reported that President Biden mentioned the possibility of withdrawing from the race to his close aides based on public opinion. The White House immediately denied this, calling it "baseless."
However, if public opinion surrounding President Biden’s candidacy continues to worsen, there is analysis suggesting the possibility of his withdrawal. According to a poll released by CNN the previous day, 56% of respondents favorable to the Democratic Party said that nominating a candidate other than President Biden would increase the chances of winning the presidential election. In a hypothetical one-on-one race between Biden and former President Trump, support was 43% and 49%, respectively, a 6 percentage point difference. In contrast, in a hypothetical one-on-one race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump, support was 45% and 47%, respectively, trailing by only 2 percentage points.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
