One in three Democrats believe President Joe Biden should withdraw from running for a second term, following last week’s disastrous phone call with Donald Trump. However, no Democratic candidate would perform better than Biden in a hypothetical showdown with Trump on November 5, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The two-day poll found both Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, securing the support of 40% of registered voters, indicating that the Democratic president did not lose ground after the debate.
Among top Democrats, in a hypothetical “battle” with Trump, only Michelle Obama, the wife of former President Barack Obama, would perform better than Biden: she would garner 50% to Trump’s 39%. However, Michelle Obama has repeatedly stated that she does not intend to run for the presidency.
32% of Democratic voters said Biden should retire after he failed to fend off Trump’s attacks and numerous false claims during the phone call.
Biden has vowed to continue his campaign. Should he withdraw, the Democrats likely to replace him would perform similarly or worse against Trump, according to the poll. For instance, Vice President Kamala Harris is one point behind Trump (42% vs. 43%), within the margin of error. California Governor Gavin Newsom, considered a rising star in the party, would fare marginally worse, at 39% to Trump’s 42%.
