Donald Trump leads Joe Biden by 1%, with 47% of US adults supporting the former US president over the current one, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll published Thursday revealed. Among registered voters, the two are tied at 46% support each.
The poll also revealed that two-thirds of Americans believe Joe Biden should step aside as the Democratic nominee for the presidential election in November, and 85% believe he is too old to continue being president. This is an increase of 4% from April.
The poll was conducted between July 5 and July 9 among a random national sample of 2,431 adults. Partisan divisions are 32%-29%-27%, Democrats-Republicans-independents. The results have a 2% margin of sampling error.
If Vice President Kamala Harris replaces Biden as the Democratic nominee, the survey respondents support Harris against Trump by a margin of 3% points, 49% to 46%.
Among registered voters, the difference decreased by one percentage point to 49% for Harris and 47% for Trump.
For those who could replace Biden’s ticket following Harris, 7% of respondents named California Gov. Gavin Newsom as a preferred stand-in, 4% chose former First Lady Michelle Obama, 3% each supported Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, 2% supported independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 1% of respondents supported eight other political figures from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Others gained support with less than half a percent.
Approval of Joe Biden compared to Donald Trump
Biden's job approval rating is 36%, stable but weak, the poll showed. Though neither Trump nor Biden is broadly popular, Biden has a better personal favorability rating than Trump. Voters view Biden as more honest and trustworthy, leading Trump by 17 points, 39% to 22%.
Approximately 40% of Americans say neither has the mental sharpness or the physical health to serve effectively, and as many say neither is honest and trustworthy. 60% say Trump is too old for a second term, up from 44% in the spring of last year.
Since the debate, half of Americans say their favorability of Biden decreased, compared to 22% who shared the same sentiment about Trump’s performance. Twenty-seven percent see Trump more favorably because of the debate, compared to 7% for Biden.
Among Biden’s supporters who say they would vote for him in November, 81% believe he is too old for another term. Among Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents, 62% think he should step aside.
If Biden withdraws, 44% of Americans said they'd be satisfied with Harris as the Democratic nominee, with 53% dissatisfied. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, satisfaction with Harris reached 70%, and 76% among current Biden supporters, according to the poll.
Regarding job approval, 43% approved of Trump’s job performance when he was president, and 52% disapproved. This is a nine percent margin over Biden whose approval rating has been steady at 36%.