Two thirds of independents say Biden ought to be dumped from the ticket
An exclusive poll for DailyMail.com found that a clear majority of independent voters believe President Joe Biden should no longer be the Democratic nominee after a car-crash debate with Donald Trump.
Some 62 percent said he should be dumped from the ticket.
Biden looked all of his 81 years on Thursday night as he repeatedly lost his train of thought and meandered into silence.
Trump, 78, was able to land his punches while his Democratic opponent struggled to push back on some of his more outlandish claims.
J.L. Partners polled 805 independent voters immediately after the 90-minute clash, and found that 68 percent said the former president won out over his White House successor.
J.L. Partners polled 805 independent voters immediately after the 90-minute clash
Some 30 percent of people who voted Biden in 2020 concluded that Trump won the debate.
The poor performance left senior Democratic figures wondering whether they could replace Biden on the ticket.
And the poll found that even among Biden 2020 voters some 41 percent said it was time to find a new nominee.
James Johnson, Co-Founder of J.L. Partners, said it was a disastrous performance for Biden with independents.
‘Voters are not surprised by Biden’s performance: We know from other DailyMail.com polling that people expected him to perform poorly and think he is old and incompetent,’ he said.
‘But this was his chance to right that perception and instead he confirmed it—and then some.’
Trump, he said, looked like a safe pair of hands in contrast to Biden.
‘Where this goes now is anyone’s guess, but looking at these numbers it looks like Joe Biden cannot beat Donald Trump among independents,’ he said.
‘And if you can’t win the voters in the middle, you can’t win the White House.’
President Joe Biden had a torrid time on stage, prompting panic among Democrats who are wondering whether he should still be the party nominee in November
The online poll also offered a first snapshot of how the debate will factor into voting intentions.
Some 40 percent said they planned to vote for Trump and 28 percent for Biden before the debate. Those numbers shifted to 44 percent opting for Trump and 24 percent for Biden after the debate, an eight-point swing.
Democrats reacted with horror at Biden’s stumbling performance, triggering immediate speculation that they could kickstart a move to select a different candidate.
Biden spoke with a hoarse voice and at times was hard to hear.
He tailed off midway through an early answer, apparently losing his train of thought after muddling his words, and coming to an awkward halt.
At other times he delivered non-sequiturs, garbling answers on issues that should have been wins, such as abortion rights.
It left Trump free to take aim at an open goal.
‘I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,’ he said after Biden delivered a word salad about the border.
‘I don’t think he knows what he said either.’
Andrew Yang ran against Biden for the 2020 Democratic nomination. On Thursday, he was among Democrats saying the president should step aside from the party ticket
The candidates are the oldest in history. Trump is only three years younger than Biden
Donald Trump came off as more vigorous than Biden, even though only three years younger
Biden greets the two moderators Dana Bash, on the left, and Jake Tapper after the debate
It shifted the focus away from convicted felon Trump, who had to be asked three times whether he would accept the results of the 2024 election, to Biden.
A string of high profile liberals said it was time for him to step aside.
‘Guys, the Dems should nominate someone else — before it’s too late,’ Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden for the 2020 Democratic nomination.
Commentator Mehdi Hasan said he had been a staunch defender of Biden.
‘But no longer,’ he said on X. ‘Not after tonight’s car crash of a “debate.” It’s time for Biden to step aside. The Democrats need to find a new nominee.’
Vice President Kamala Harris defended Biden. She admitted he got off to a ‘slow start’ but said voters should judge him on his years in office.
‘I’m not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I’ve been watching the last three-and-a-half years of performance,’ she told CNN.
