Joe Biden 'too old' to run for presidency in 2024, poll among Democrats finds

Joe Biden 'too old' to run for presidency in 2024, poll among Democrats finds
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Anna Fox

By Anna Fox


Published: 12/07/2022

- 15:55

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 10:50

The 79-year-old US President's approval rating hit a new low, as supporters continue to question his authority

US President Joe Biden has warranted concerns over his suitability to run in the 2024 campaign, with the 79-year-old's approval rating hitting a new low.

A survey, released on Monday, detailed how 64 percent of Democrat voters preferred a new candidate to fight the next election.


The 79-year-old proved unfavourable in the New York Times/Siena College poll, which will prove a low blow as he emphasised his keenness to run in 2024 if his health allows.

Just 26 percent of Democratic voters agreed that Mr Biden should be the party's candidate.

The current president holds a narrow victory over his predecessor, Donald Trump, in a potential 2024 re-match, holding 44 percent against 41 percent.

The news follows an announcement from FiveThirtyEight who revealed how Mr Biden's approval rating hit an all-time low of 38.4 percent over the weekend.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate passage of the %22Safer Communities Act,%22 on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 11, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
US President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the 'Safer Communities Act'
KEVIN LAMARQUE

Mr Trump's approval rating plummeted to a similar low following the Capitol riots last year, but not as low as George W Bush's following the 2008 financial crisis, according to data from the Gallup Presidential Job Approval centre.

The US President has worked towards reversing his shocking approval ratings, hiring capable and notable politicians to boost his team.

In retaliation to the state abortion ban law, Mr Biden addressed the issue in a White House speech, redeeming himself among Democratic voters.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson with US President Joe Biden
Prime Minister Boris Johnson with US President Joe Biden
Stefan Rousseau

Despite his speech, the public dissatisfaction was rife at a White House event on Monday, when Mr Biden was taunted by a guest as he cheered on his administration's progress on gun control.

Manuel Oliver, whose teenage son was killed in a 2018 school shooting, was accompanied out after telling the US President: "You have to do more than this."

"The word celebration has no space in a society that saw 19 kids massacred just a month ago," Mr Oliver said in a tweet ahead of the event, referencing the latest school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Acknowledging the NYT poll on Monday evening, Mr Biden's Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said: "There's going to be many polls. They're going to go up and they're going to go down. This is not the thing that we are solely focused on."

Ms Jean-Pierre stated: "I would also say from that very same poll there were 92 percent of Democrats who support this president as well."

Survey participants gave Mr Biden a depressing 33 percent approval rating, one of his lowest scores to date.

The President's age topped the list of concerns regarding his supremacy, with 33 percent citing it as their primary reason for preferring a new Democratic nominee in 2024, with a further 32 percent blaming Mr Biden's poor job performance.

JB Pritzker, and Illinois governor, who has been urged to run as a candidate in 2024, said he would continue to support Mr Biden if he choose to run again, but believed an internal opponent would emerge.

In an interview with CNN, Mr Pritzker said: "[Mr Biden] will win the nomination, and yet, it'll be Ted Kennedy running against Jimmy Carter ... They will lose and they will take away from the President."

His views were maintained by two other hopeful candidates, California governor Gavin Newsom, and Ro Khanna, a top progressive congressman for the state.

Mr Khanna said: "I plan to support [Biden] because of the danger that Donald Trump poses. I would certainly not do anything to weaken him, and I hope no one else will do anything to weaken him."

"He's still the safe brand in the midwestern states to make sure Trump is kept far away from the Oval Office."

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to ban the constitutional right to an abortion, the NYT surveyed 849 registered voters between July 5-7.

President Biden joined by Vice President Kamala Harris
President Biden joined by Vice President Kamala Harris
KEVIN LAMARQUE

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