Poll: 72% Think Biden Shouldn't Be Running

After last week's disastrous debate performance, almost three-quarters of Americans, including a growing number of Democrats, think President Biden shouldn't be running for a second term, according to a CBS News poll. The poll found that 72% of registered voters think he shouldn't be running, up from 63% in February. Among Democrats, the figure was 46%, up from 36% in February. Only 27% said Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president, compared to 50% for Donald Trump.

According to the poll, voters thought Trump appeared more presidential, presented his ideas more clearly, and inspired more confidence during the debate, although neither candidate scored above 50% in the categories. The only remotely bright spot for Biden was truth-telling: Some 40% said he told the truth during the debate, compared to 32% for Trump.

• According to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll, 41% of Democrats think Biden should be replaced as the party's nominee. An overwhelming majority of those polled thought Trump won the debate. Only 28% of Biden supporters said he won.

• According to a CNN poll, 75% of voters think the Democrats would have a better chance of winning in November with somebody else on the ballot. The poll found that Biden is six points behind Trump in the presidential race, 49% to 43%, with the numbers unchanged from a CNN poll in April. Vice President Kamala Harris scored slightly better, with 45% to 47% for Trump.

On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first House Democrat to say Biden should step aside. The White House continued to push back against such calls on Tuesday, saying he has events planned including a press conference and a network TV interview, the AP reports. At a campaign event, Biden blamed his debate performance on jet lag, saying, "I wasn't very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times." (More Election 2024 stories.)