Biden hit with brutal poll showing almost 70% want him to drop out
President Joe Biden was faced with yet another jarring poll as he approaches a crucial press conference amid growing calls by congressional Democrats for him to step back form his reelection campaign.
A majority of Democrats, 56 percent, want Biden to step aside and let someone else run following his debate performance, according to a new ABC News / Washington Post poll.
Just 42 percent of members of his own party want him to stay, according to the poll. Among U.S. adults overall, a stunning 67 percent want Biden to step aside, with just 30 percent wanting to continue his campaign.
Despite the grim numbers for Biden, the poll has the president and former President Donald Trump tied at 46 percent, as Democrats in Congress weigh whether to try to push him to end his campaign. In a poll question that includes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump leads Biden 43 to 42 percent.
Last week, a separate DailyMail.com poll with J.L. Partners had more than a third of Democrats wanted Biden to step down, although direct comparisons are difficult. Fifty percent of likely voters overall wanted Biden to go.
The ABC / Washington Post poll conducted by Ipsos surveyed registered voters, rather than screening for likely voters.
Another key data point certain to get the attention of Democrats is a head-to-head question putting Vice President Kamala Harris against Trump. It has Harris leading Trump 49 to 47, although by an amount that equals its error margin.
That comes after a series of recent polls showed Trump expanding his national lead as well as his lead in key battlegrounds, amid a public fretting by members of Biden's own party about his age and ability to carry out a campaign.
The White House has organized what it terms a 'big boy press conference' amid new scrutiny of the ways the White House has shielded him from questions and turned down requests for one-on-one interviews.
