Republican former President Donald Trump is leading Democratic President Joe Biden by 10 points among voters, according to a new poll that could inspire Americans to take a better look at liberal Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The Washington Post and ABC on Sunday released the poll, which found that if the 2024 presidential election were held today, Trump would win 52% to 42% over Biden in 2024, his third presidential campaign.
In addition to Biden’s age, respondents harbor a poor view of his handling of the economy and the U.S.-Mexico border, for which Kennedy had harsh criticism at a press conference in Austin, Texas.
“Since Biden was elected, 7 million immigrants have come across the border illegally,” said Kennedy, who observed that only 3.1 million arrived legally in the same period. “What that means is the Mexican drug cartels are driving American border policy.”
According to the survey, Biden is struggling to gain approval from a skeptical public, that expressed broad concerns about his age and growing dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy and immigration.
A rising share of the electorate says that the United States is spending too much on military aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia and broad concerns about his age as he seeks a second term.
Although Biden and Trump appear headed for a rematch of their 2020 contest, a large majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they would prefer a nominee other than the president.
Biden’s advocates have falsely argued that he would be the strongest Democrat in 2024 while his approval rating sits at 37%, according to the poll, with 56% of respondents actively disapproving of his presidency.
“President Joe Biden should not be the Democratic nominee if he cannot defeat Trump, who is facing 91 felony counts in four indictments, including 13 in Georgia, four in the 2020 election fraud conspiracy, 40 for taking and mishandling classified documents after leaving office, plus 34 New York crimes centered on falsifying business records to cover up the hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels,” said Lisa McCormick, a progressive Democrat in New Jersey.
Without a consensus on who should be the Democratic alternative, there is a real danger of returning Trump, who is the first US president in history to face criminal charges, the stakes are too high for Democrats to deny a fair election to Kennedy, Marianne Williamson, or any other potential standard-bearer.