After a rough debate performance on Thursday, a new survey indicates that some Democratic voters are growing more skeptical about Joe Biden’s mental health as a candidate for president.

According to a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted on Sunday, 72% of registered voters think the president lacks the mental and cognitive capacity to carry out his or her duties as president. This is a significant increase from the 65% who felt the same way in a previous poll.

Regarding former President Donald Trump, 49% of voters expressed a similar opinion.

The poll found that 45% of registered Democrats thought the president should step down in favor of another candidate, which is particularly concerning for the Biden campaign.

Before Thursday’s debate, there were age-related concerns regarding the candidates: Mr. Biden is 81 years old, while Mr. Trump is 78. But Mr. Biden’s raspy voice and rambling responses made some Democrats even more skeptical of his candidacy and demanded that he resign.

Democrat and White House supporter Jamie Raskin of Maryland termed it a “difficult situation” in an MSNBC interview on Sunday.

“Very honest, serious, and rigorous conversations taking place at every level of our party,” he stated, stressing that Mr. Biden will always have the final say.

He continued, “Our party will remain united no matter what President Biden decides, and our party also needs him at the very center of our deliberations in our campaign.”

First lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama have all recognized that Mr. Biden’s performance in the debate was not his greatest in the days after it.

However, they dismissed calls for Mr. Biden to resign along with those of many other Democratic friends.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader, said on MSNBC on Sunday that the president’s performance in the debate “was a setback.” Of course, though, I think a setback is just a prelude to a return.

This survey conducted by YouGov and CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, is in opposition to a memo released on Saturday by Jen O’Malley, the chair of the Biden campaign.

According to the report, internal polling reveals that Mr. Biden’s opponents are not the people of the nation, but rather the “beltway class”.

However, post-debate voter interviews confirm the worries raised in the CBS News survey. After the president’s performance, voters informed BBC News that they were concerned about him.

After the debate, a Democratic voter told the BBC, “I am less confident in Biden’s ability to lead this country today than I ever have.”

Concerns mounting, the president’s surrogates made an appearance on several American political talk shows on Sunday morning.

The president’s close buddy and campaign co-chair, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, vigorously defended the president on ABC News’ This Week.

“Joe Biden’s record is amazing, and he understands, just like the American people, that when you fall, you get back up and fight even harder,” the senator remarked. That’s his intended course of action.

When questioned about the president’s mental state, Mr. Coons sidestepped the question and voiced worries about Trump. Furthermore, he would not say if Mr. Biden was paying attention to the mounting worries regarding his stability and advanced age.

Regarding President Donald Trump, Mr. Coons stated, “He’s the only Democrat who can beat him.”
The president “absolutely not” should withdraw from the race, according to Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, who made this statement on NBC News Meet the Press.

Mr. Warnock, a pastor, admitted, “There have been more than a few Sundays when I wished I preached a better sermon.”

“However, it was my responsibility to live out the sermon’s teachings and to be there for the people I support after it ended. And Joe Biden has been acting in that manner.”

Republicans, meanwhile, intensified their criticism of the president’s performance, claiming that it demonstrated why Trump was the best option.

“They’re talking about replacing Joe Biden because of his disastrous performance,” Republican Senator JD Vance stated on Fox News on Sunday.

During the discussion, Mr. Vance described Trump as amusing, engaging, and having a “good natured demeanour”.

“That’s what you need to be able to serve as president of the United States and to contrast with Joe Biden, who seemed to be unable to complete a sentence,” he stated.