On Sunday, as Matt covered, The Washington Post/ABC News poll came out, painting a dismal picture for President Joe Biden's reelection bid. As Guy highlighted, regardless as to if the poll is considered an "outlier," it's still noteworthy. And the poll is far from good news for the incumbent president who's running for reelection, or so he claims. While this one is particularly bad, other polls have also shown a hypothetical rematch between Biden and former and potentially future President Donald Trump to be close, even putting Trump in the lead according to RealClearPolitics (RCP).
CNN's Manu Raju recently spoke to Democratic senators about "the lack of enthusiasm" from voters, including Democrats. This included not only Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), but Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), who serves as Biden's reelection campaign co-chair. The two got into talking about the polls as well.
"Right now the polls head-to-head are more," Coons said, with a bit of a pause, "concerning than I would expect." The mask seems to have slipped, though only momentarily, as Coons still tried to strive for optimism. "But I would so much rather be in this position, of having an incredible record for our president to run on," he continued.
Even if Coons did return to positive messaging, though, it's still noteworthy that he let as much concern show as he did.
"The polls aren't great," Raju reaffirmed, pointing to not just The Washington Post/ABC News poll which showed Trump ahead 52 percent to Biden's 42 percent, but the candidates tied with 46 percent each in an NBC News poll.
Manchin on Biden: "I think he's gone too far to the left."
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 25, 2023
Durbin on voters' views of Biden: "They don't seem attentive to many of the changes that have taken place."
Coons says polls "more concerning that I would expect" but says that Biden has "an incredible record" pic.twitter.com/WCixvbegCp
That positive spin is something Coons has turned to before, as have other Democrats speaking in support of the president and his age, like White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, or of his campaign, like fellow co-chair Cedric Richmonds. Those like Coons have spoken to how people apparently aren't paying enough attention to the Biden administration's so-called accomplishments. Durbin had offered such a take as well.
As the polls also show, though, Americans aren't too fond of the president's record. They're also concerned about his age and mental capabilities and if he'll even finish a second term if he is reelected.
Jean-Pierre was confronted by the particularly atrocious poll during Monday's press briefing, though she tried to dismiss any such concerns that the reporter asked her about. One particular area where the president is faring poorly is on the economy, even as he and his administration so desperately try to sell "Bidenomics."
"Here's what we're going to focus on," Jean-Pierre offered, taking her time to speak to "how do we continue to support the, uh, workers," claiming Biden "is working for American families."
REPORTER: "37% of registered voters...approve of the president's handling of the economy. 56% disapproval, the highest of his presidency...74% of registered voters say they have major or moderate concerns about the president's age or mental fitness!" pic.twitter.com/a722gZtyrR
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 25, 2023
As the reporter pushed back, emphasizing how just 37 percent of voters approve of the economy, Jean-Pierre claimed "I hear you," offering "our focus is going to be on, um, on what we can do to continue to deliver for the American people." She eventually revealed they're not too concerned about the polls.
"Polls are polls, right? They're going to be all over the place, uh, they're going to, they're going to they don't tell the whole story, actually, and that is just the way a poll is."
REPORTER: "37% approve [of Biden's handling of the economy]."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 25, 2023
KJP: "Polls are polls. They're going to be all over the place! They don't tell the whole story, actually, and that is just the way a poll is!" pic.twitter.com/kni98geI1K
At least Coons appears apprehensive, but he's right to be. Outlier or not, The Washington Post/ABC News poll is no doubt energizing Trump, who posted about it over TruthSocial and whose campaign sent out an email on Sunday night highlighting coverage of the poll. It's over a year away from the general election, and there will no doubt be other polls and a potentially completely different political landscape. Trump would be wise not to get too sure of himself.
Currently, Trump leads Biden in a hypothetical rematch against Biden by +1.6, with 45.7 percent to Biden's 44.1 percent.