Should President Biden stay or should he go before his term ends? That’s a question that I&I/TIPP Poll posed to voters twice since he was pushed off the Democratic Party ticket.
When asked which answer would be in the best interest of the U.S., respondents were given the following choices: “‘Biden should finish his term,' 'Biden should step down and hand over the presidency to Harris,' 'Biden should be removed from office using the 25th Amendment,' and 'not sure.'"
In the last survey, taken July 31-Aug. 2, 48 percent said Biden should stay, while 41 percent said he should go (with 21 percent saying he should step down and 20 percent arguing he should be removed through the 25th Amendment). Twelve percent were unsure.
The September survey of 1,582 adults, which was conducted Aug. 28-30, found similar results.
A hefty 42% of voters still agree either that "Biden should step down and hand over the presidency to Harris" (21%) or "should be removed from office using the 25th Amendment" (20%). Another 11% say they're "not sure" in the poll, which has a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points.
Some 67% of Democrats wanted Biden to stay in office, but only 37% of Republicans and 44% of independents did. But 34% of Democrats wanted Biden either to "step down" (27%) or "be removed" through the 25th Amendment (7%).
For Republicans, half said they want Biden gone, either by him stepping down (14%) or by 25th Amendment removal (36%), with 12% not sure. Among independents, 41% overall wanted Biden either to leave on his own (21%) or be removed from office (20%) for being "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office," as the 25th Amendment to the Constitution says. (Issues & Insights)
Why does this matter with only 40 days until the election? Analysis of the survey reminds voters that Biden is still in office until January 20, 2025, and there are many pressing issues on the domestic and international stage.
[M]any leadership-hungry Americans see a virtually empty presidential office, with Biden spending increasing amounts of time at his beloved vacation retreat in Rehoboth Beach Delaware, or elsewhere.
As for the White House, apparently no one really knows who's making the day-to-day, hour-to-hour, even minute-to-minute decisions.
Many wonder, if Biden's at the beach, will he be able to make a snap decision in the case of a national emergency? Or will it be an anonymous aid? Or a decision by a committee of anonymous, unelected aides and Cabinet members?
The poll shows that 62% of Americans, including 42% of Democrats, 84% of Republicans, and 62% of independents are concerned about Biden’s ability to handle national security issues in the coming months. (Issues & Insights)
The findings come amid backlash over first lady Jill Biden speaking at the first full Cabinet Meeting in nearly a year.