The vast majority of Americans agree with President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his re-election bid following concerns about his mental fitness, a recent New York Times/Siena poll shows.
Around 87 percent of voters approve of the president’s decision, with only 9 percent disapproving based on 1,142 registered voters who were polled from July 22 to 24, according to the Times.
Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race was announced in a post on social media platform X on Sunday after a poor debate performance in June sparked several high-profile Democrats to urge him to step aside, including Rep. Adam Schiff and reportedly Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In the same survey, 77 percent of voters reported they were either “satisfied” or “enthusiastic” about the announcement, with 56 percent stating they disapproved of Biden’s handling of his presidency as a whole.
About half of respondents said they voted for Biden in 2020.
A poll released just after the June debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump showed that 72 percent of voters no longer believed the president to be mentally fit enough to hold office for another term.
In a July poll done before the president’s announcement, just over half of Americans said the president should withdraw from the race.
My fellow Americans:
It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your President.
I draw strength and find joy in working for the people.
But this sacred task of perfecting our Union is not about me. It’s about you. Your families. Your futures.
It’s about “We the People.”
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 25, 2024
Biden announced in his withdrawal that he supported Vice President Kamala Harris to step into the race in his place, despite Harris receiving virtually no votes in the Democratic primary.
Do you agree with Biden’s decision to give up his re-election bid?
Yes: 67% (10 Votes)
No: 33% (5 Votes)
Polls conducted after the Sunday announcement found a majority of respondents believe the new presumptive Democratic nominee played a role in hiding Biden’s apparent decline from the public.
Biden’s favorability has remained low throughout his presidency, steadily holding under 40 percent in recent months.
Republican Donald Trump leads Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris by 48% to 46% in a New York Times/Siena College poll of registered voters conducted July 22 to 24 and published on Thursday. Read more: https://t.co/W9jj08xoVd pic.twitter.com/oGzbQkfFWt
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 26, 2024
The president had been trailing behind Trump in many polls leading up to his decision to drop from the race, with pollster Nate Silver putting Trump at 42.7 percent and Biden at 39.7 percent nationally in a July model.
Despite polling, Biden had insisted after the debate that he would not end his re-election campaign, even up until the week of his announcement.
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