65% of Democrats say Biden should drop out after debate disaster, poll finds

A new poll released on Wednesday found that 65% of Democrats say President Biden should drop out following his disastrous debate performance against former President Trump. 

The AP-NORC survey – which was conducted July 11-15, mostly completed before the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend – found that 7 in 10 adults, including 65% of Democrats, say Biden should withdraw and allow his party to select a different nominee.

Overall, 57% of adults say Trump should withdraw from the race and allow his party to name a replacement. But Trump is maintaining support from his party, with 73% of Republicans saying he should stay in the race.

Biden is facing more resistance from his party, with only 35% of Democrats saying he should continue his re-election campaign. 

The survey found that more people view Biden as honest than those who feel the same way as Trump, but Trump is more likely to be seen as capable of winning in November and better able to handle a crisis, according to the Associated Press. 

Black Democrats are among Biden’s strongest supporters. Half of Black Democrats say he should continue running, while only a third of White and Hispanic Democrats say the same.

Younger Democrats are more likely to want Biden to withdraw from the race. Three-quarters of Democrats under the age of 45 want Biden to drop out, compared to 57% of those over the age of 45.

Thirty-seven percent of Democrats are satisfied with Biden as their party’s nominee. Before last month’s debate, 42% were satisfied. Meanwhile, the number of Democrats who are dissatisfied has grown from 38% to 48%.

In contrast, about 6 in 10 Republicans continue to be satisfied with Trump, while roughly a quarter are dissatisfied with him at the top of the Republican ticket.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.