Trump's edge widens over Biden as age concerns mount
Two studies published on Wednesday by the "New York Times" and the "Wall Street Journal" show Donald Trump's most significant lead over Joe Biden, ranging from 6 to 8 percentage points. An overwhelming majority of respondents also believe that the president is too old to serve in his role. Biden declares that he "absolutely" has no intention of withdrawing from the race.
6:37 AM EDT, July 4, 2024
According to the "NYT" and Siena College poll, after the debate, Trump's lead among voters planning to participate in the elections increased by 3 percentage points: 49% of respondents want to vote for Trump, and 43% for Biden. This lead is even greater when considering all registered voters. The proportion of respondents who believe that the 81-year-old president is too old to serve in his role also increased by five points to 74%. As for the 78-year-old Trump, 42% expressed such an opinion.
In the "Wall Street Journal" poll, Trump's lead over Biden is also 6 percentage points (48% to 42%), two points more than in a similar survey in February. 76%—7% more than in February—also believe Biden is too old (in Trump's case, this percentage is 56%). In both surveys, the former president's lead over the current one is the largest recorded since the start of the studies.
Calling for Biden to withdraw
Biden is also facing increasingly open concerns about his chances from politicians within his own party. On Wednesday, he was called to withdraw from the race by a second Democrat congressman, Raul Grijalva from the key election state of Arizona. Previously, a similar appeal was made by Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett, and two others—Jared Golden from Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez—stated that Biden would lose the election. Former Democratic Party leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said it is fair to question whether Biden's debate performance was just an "episode" and called on both Biden and Trump to undergo examinations.
Despite these calls, the president reportedly declared during a Wednesday teleconference with his team that he intends to continue running.
"No one is pushing me out," Biden added, saying: "I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end, and we’re going to win," quoted by NBC News.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also spoke clearly about Biden's intentions, claiming that Biden told her he "absolutely" does not intend to withdraw from the race.
