PBS poll finds most Americans don’t want Biden for president

56 percent of Americans believe Biden should not be the Democratic nominee for president. Younger Americans, particularly those aged 18 to 29, show a strong belief in Trump's likelihood of winning, with 62 percent predicting his victory in the upcoming election. This is the case even though 54 percent of voters do not think Trump should be the Republican nominee.

In a head-to-head race, Biden was ahead of Trump 50 to 48 points, however, with third party candidates added in, Trump led Biden 43 to 42. Notably, a majority of Americans, 59 percent, believe Trump will ultimately win the general election. This sentiment spans across party lines, with almost all Republicans, a majority of independents, and nearly a quarter of Democrats sharing this belief.

“The survey shows that President Biden can still win this election, he just needs to convince Democrats — including those inclined to vote for him — that he can,” claimed Navin Nayak, president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “Based on this survey, what’s most important is the actual vote hasn’t changed since the debate, but there’s a crisis of confidence among Democrats that the president needs to address.”

The poll also gauged public opinion on Vice President Kamala Harris. When Harris was pitted against Trump, the race tightened further, with 50 percent supporting Harris and 49 percent backing Trump. During the NATO News conference that Biden held on Thursday night, the president addressed questions about Harris's capability to serve as president if necessary.

"I wouldn’t have picked her if I didn’t think she was qualified to be president," Biden affirmed, despite a slip where he mistakenly referred to her as "Vice President Trump."

Concerns about Biden's mental fitness for the presidency were prevalent in the poll, with 64 percent of respondents expressing doubts. In comparison, only 49 percent voiced similar concerns about Trump. Some have floated the idea of having Harris run against Trump instead of Biden due to the concerns over his health and age.