70% of Americans say Biden should drop out – poll

Roughly seven in ten do not believe the veteran politician has the mental capability to serve another term as president

A strong majority of Americans think President Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race, citing concerns over his mental capacity to stay in office for another term, a new survey suggests.

The nationwide poll conducted by the AP-NORC Public Affairs Research Center indicated that at least seven out of ten respondents want Biden to drop his reelection bid and let the Democrats nominate a different candidate. Among the Democrats themselves, the figure is only slightly lower, at 65%. This is a significant increase from roughly a third in a similar poll in February.

Overall, roughly 70% of Americans are ‘not very/not at all confident’ that Biden has the mental capability to serve effectively as president.

The 81-year-old politician has faced public scrutiny over his cognitive and physical decline throughout his entire presidential campaign, but concerns deepened following his bungling CNN-hosted debate with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump last month. At the debate, Biden repeatedly lost his train of thought, mixed up words and numbers, and struggled to finish his sentences. This led to dissent within the Democratic Party, with many high-ranking members and campaign donors urging Biden to drop his reelection plans.

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The incumbent president has brushed off the concerns and blamed his performance at the debate on being sick and tired. He has also repeatedly dismissed the possibility of dropping out of the race, claiming that he would do so only on doctors’ orders or if “God Almighty” convinces him. He has also insisted that he has the best chance of beating Trump.

The survey shows that while few Americans have confidence in either Biden’s or Trump’s mental capability to be the next leader, they are more inclined to bet on the latter.

As opposed to Biden’s 14%, 30% of respondents said they were confident that Trump has the faculties to do the job. According to the pollster, they are also more likely to think Trump can win the election and find him more likely to be capable of handling a crisis.

READ MORE: Trump suggests simultaneous mental test with Biden

The poll was conducted July 11-15 among 1,253 American adults.