Paul Bedard, the Washington Secrets columnist for the Washington Examiner on Thursday shared some insight about how the American people feel about the likelihood of President Joe Biden serving out a full term. According to a poll from McLaughlin & Associates, 58 percent of likely voters believe it is "likely" that "Vice-President Kamala Harris will be president before the end of Joe Bidens [sic] 4-Year term."
Bedard offered some insight from John McLaughin on that regard:
Surprisingly, 52% of Democratic likely voters agree, as do majorities of Hispanics, blacks, men, and women.
Asked why, pollster John McLaughlin told Secrets, “Because the more they see of President Biden, the weaker and more feeble-minded he looks. Even when they try to hide him, they are cutting off his mic, shutting off his video feeds, and he has a really light schedule where he can only read from a teleprompter and can’t take questions. Right now Kamala Harris's negatives are insurance against the 25th amendment. Sooner or later, the Democrats will invoke it.”
Not only do Democrats find this likely, by 52-39 percent, so does every other demographic polled. The only demographic who feels this way by a plurality, rather than a majority, is those who voted for Biden in 2020. Those numbers come down to 47-43 percent.
It's worth recalling that for Biden's first press briefing, on March 25, while he did answer a reporter that he would run in 2024, there was some confusion about other details.
Early on in the press briefing:
Q And then, on a related note, have you decided whether you are going to run for reelection in 2024? You haven’t set up a reelection campaign yet, as your predecessor had by this time.
THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) My predecessor need do [sic] — needed to. My predecessor. Oh God, I miss him.
Q Have you — have you —
THE PRESIDENT: No, the answer is “yes.” My plan is to run for reelection. That’s my expectation.
And at a later point:
Q You also just made some news by saying that you are going to run for reelection.
THE PRESIDENT: I said, “That is my expectation.”
Q So is that a “yes” that you are running for reelection?
THE PRESIDENT: Look, I — I don’t know where you guys come from, man. I’ve never been able to travel. I’m a great respecter of fate. I’ve never been able to plan four and half, three and a half years ahead for certain.
Q And if you do —
THE PRESIDENT: It —
Q If you do run, will Vice President Harris be on your ticket?
THE PRESIDENT: I would fully expect that to be the case. She’s doing a great job. She’s a great partner. She’s a great partner.
Q And do you believe you’ll be running against former President Trump?
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, come on. I don’t even think about — I don’t — I have no idea. I have no idea if there will be a Republican Party. Do you? I know you don’t have to answer my question, but, I mean, you know, do you?
I mean, look, this is — the way I view things — I’ve become a great respecter of fate in my life. I set a goal that’s in front of me to get things done for the people I care most about, which are hardworking, decent American people who are getting — really having it stuck to them.
The poll also asked Republican primary voters about former President Donald Trump running again in 2024, something he has hinted at in the past, including last Saturday. These voters had significant support for Trump running again: 71 percent said they wanted to see him run for president again in 2024; 84 percent said they would support him in the primary if he ran in 2024; and 86 percent said they would vote for him in he won the nomination.
On 2024, the poll looked to hypothetical match ups as well. Between Trump and Harris, it was very close, with Trump earning 49 percent to Harris' 47 percent. Between Trump and Biden, Trump has 50 percent while Biden has 47 percent.
As Matt and Landon reported in July, Democrats are fearful about Harris' chances of winning should she be the nominee in 2024, including her chances against Trump.
The McLaughlin & Associates poll surveyed 1,000 likely U.S. voters from September 9-14.
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