The incumbent says there’s nobody “more qualified” to lead the US, regardless of public opinion
US President Joe Biden is facing questions about his ability to lead the country for another four years following a perceived lackluster performance in a televised debate against Republican rival Donald Trump.
The oldest US president in history appeared to struggle at times during the debate last week, leading to concerns about his mental and physical fitness for the presidency. A survey by CBS News/YouGov conducted after the debate found that 72% of registered voters believe Biden lacks the “mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president.”
According to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, Biden’s approval rating among likely voters stands at less than 37%. The same poll showed Trump ahead of Biden by 6 percentage points, a widening of the gap from a 3-point lead before the debate.
“Mr. President, I’ve never seen a president with 36% approval get reelected,” ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos remarked to Biden during an interview on Friday.
“Well, I don’t believe that’s my approval rating. That’s not what our polls show,” Biden responded, but it remains unclear which polling data he was referring to.
A Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll published Tuesday showed Trump leading Biden by 3 percent, while a survey for CNN by SSRS found Trump ahead by 6 points.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult tracking poll indicated that Biden has narrowed the gap over the past week but still trails by “only 2 percentage points” in key swing states. However, less than one in five respondents in those states felt that the 81-year-old was the “more coherent, mentally fit or dominant participant” of the debate.
“Look, you know polling better than anybody. Do you think polling data is as accurate as it used to be?” Biden countered when Stephanopoulos pointed out that Biden was trailing Trump even before the debate.
Biden asserted that there’s nobody “more qualified to be president or win this race than me” and declared he would not withdraw from the race, even if top Democratic leaders requested it, stating that only “the Lord Almighty” could persuade him to step aside.