The majority of Democrats wish their nominee were someone other than President Biden, according to a Gallup poll that shows a mismatch in party enthusiasm between the men vying for the White House.
The Gallup survey released Thursday found only 42% of Democrats pleased with Mr. Biden as their presidential nominee compared to 79% of Republicans who were happy with former President Donald Trump carrying the GOP banner into November.
The poll, released hours before the first presidential debate, underscored Mr. Biden’s enthusiasm deficit as he heads into the general election tied or trailing Mr. Trump in key swing states.
It also suggests Mr. Trump remains in the GOP’s graces despite being convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York. The poll was taken from June 3 to June 23 — after the guilty verdict on May 30.
Mr. Trump is still looking to grow his political base after losing to Mr. Biden in 2020 and alienating some centrist Republicans with his behavior following his loss. Pollsters say neither contender is rather popular.
“Overall, less than half of Americans view either candidate favorably, think either has the personality and leadership qualities a president should have, and say they agree with either on the issues that are most important to them,” Gallup said.
Mr. Trump’s favorability rating is trending in the right direction, however, while Mr. Biden’s is not.
The presumptive GOP nominee’s favorable rating increased by 4 percentage points to 46% since December and is the highest for him since April 2020.
Mr. Biden’s favorable rating dropped by 4 points to 37%, “his lowest since 2007, when he was unknown to many Americans,” according to Gallup.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is viewed favorably by 38% of Americans, a 14-percentage-point drop from December as he remains in the mix as a potential spoiler but fails to gain sufficient ground.
“The campaign trail has not been kind to Kennedy, whose favorable rating has tumbled over the past six months, particularly among Democrats and independents. Kennedy did not qualify for the debate,” Gallup pollsters said.
Part of Mr. Biden’s enthusiasm gap is due to how people feel about his stance on the issues and his age, at 81.
More than nine in 10 Republicans agree with Mr. Trump on key issues while around eight in 10 Democrats say the same of Mr. Biden, and more independents side with Mr. Trump (46%) on the issues than Mr. Biden (34%).
Mr. Trump, 78, is not much younger than Mr. Biden, but Americans are nearly twice as likely to say Mr. Biden is too old to be president (67%) compared to Mr. Trump (37%).
It’s not just Republicans and independents who are faulting Mr. Biden over age. A sizable minority (44%) of Democrats say Mr. Biden is too old and 31% are “very worried” about it.
The White House and Biden campaign have dismissed claims that Mr. Biden is too old to serve, pointing to his legislative accomplishments, trips abroad with foreign leaders and testimonials from aides and allies. They say Mr. Biden will overcome doubts as the election comes into focus this fall.
Mr. Trump says Mr. Biden is far past his prime and is running ads around the first presidential debate highlighting the president’s falls on the Air Force One steps and during bike rides.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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