The president faces stiff opposition to a 2024 run, with his advanced age the leading factor
Joe Biden speaks during a bill signing ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC, December 13, 2022 © AP / Patrick Semansky
Nearly 60% of American voters don’t want President Joe Biden to seek a second term in office, a Newsweek poll has found. With voters primarily concerned about Biden’s age, opposition is also mounting within the Democratic party itself.
Published on Wednesday, the survey found that 58% of eligible voters don’t believe Biden should run, with 42% of this number citing the 80-year-old president’s age as their number one worry. Only 30% said that he should seek reelection, with 12% unsure.
Biden, who is already the US’ oldest ever sitting president, will turn 82 in November 2024. Republicans have long argued that the octogenarian president is exhibiting signs of cognitive decline, pointing to his regular verbal gaffes and blunders, and his apparent confusion during public appearances.
Aside from his age, 16% of voters surveyed cited Biden’s economic policies and 7% mentioned the strengths of other potential Democratic candidates as reasons for the president to bow out in 2024.
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Biden has not formally announced his candidacy yet, but said last month that his “intention” is to run again. However, he faces opposition not just from voters, but from within the Democratic party itself. On the party’s left wing, progressive activists launched a ‘Don’t Run Joe’ campaign last month, declaring that renominating the president would be “a tragic mistake.” At the party’s center, former Obama aide Johanna Maska said earlier this month that “a lot of people” in the party establishment “are saying we need new leadership.”
Against this backdrop, a number of prominent Democrats – including West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – have refused to give Biden their endorsement.
The Newsweek poll also found that 49% of eligible voters don’t want Donald Trump to run as the Republican Party’s nominee in 2024, with 39% backing a third campaign. Although Trump announced his candidacy last month, Republican-leaning voters increasingly want to cut ties with the former president. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has emerged as the leading candidate to replace him.
