Joe Biden still has a chance to win the election, as if voters agreed the debate was a disaster. Few will change their vote, polls show.
Ipsos surveyed about 5,000 likely voters in the days leading up to the debate, then followed up with about half of them on Thursday and Friday afterward.
They broadly agreed that President Biden, 81, performed poorly, and 60 percent said his opponent Donald Trump did better in Atlanta on Thursday.
Only 21 percent said Biden did the better of the two bitter rivals, and 19 percent said they didn’t know who came out on top.
Joe Biden embraces pop icon Elton John at an event on Friday evening as he tries to move on from his disastrous debate performance the night before
Voters in an Ipsos poll agreed that President Biden, 81, did a poor job and 60 percent said his opponent Donald Trump did a better job in Atlanta on Thursday
About 73 percent of debate viewers said Biden’s performance was poor or terrible, and just eight percent said it was excellent or good.
Trump didn’t exactly win the debate, however, with only 40 percent rating him good or excellent, 25 percent mixed, and 33 percent bad or terrible.
Biden suffered a slight dip in voter concern about his age, but his age was already so low that things couldn’t get much worse.
“Before the debate, 27 percent of likely voters rated Biden as good or excellent when it came to his mental fitness to be president,” Ipsos said.
‘After the debate that level dropped to 20 percent. The decline was steepest among Democratic respondents, from 56 percent before the debate to 42 percent after the debate.’
Elton John and President Joe Biden speak onstage during the grand opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center
John gave Biden a shoutout during his speech, saying the fight for freedom and equality for LGBTQ+ people is still ongoing
In a worrying sign for the president, Black voters, a group Biden must win because they overwhelmingly supported him in 2020, saw their confidence in his mental fitness drop by 15 percent.
Voters aged 65 or older were 11 percent less confident, and feelings among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher dropped by 10 percent.
“Trump’s mental (39 percent pre-debate, 41 percent post-debate) and physical (43 percent, 45 percent) fitness ratings were stable,” Ipsos said.
However, when asked about their voting intentions, very few respondents said the debate would change who they would actually support in the election.
Support for Biden fell from 46 to 44 percent, and Trump was stuck at 44 percent before and after the election, as did Robert Kennedy Jr. at 18 percent.
The president on Friday morning rejected calls from dozens of prominent Democrats to step aside and let a younger candidate challenge Trump.
“Fifty-five years ago, on this sacred site of the Stonewall Uprising, gay activists stood strong and ignited a movement that changed history for the better,” said John
The couple spoke at the grand opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in Greenwich Village, New York City
He followed up his day on the defensive by joining pop icon Elton John on stage to fulfill his starring role.
The couple spoke at the grand opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in Greenwich Village, New York City.
Biden said the Stonewall riots of June 28, 1969, “represented a turning point for civil rights in America and touched the hearts of millions of people around the world.”
He said the Stonewall Inn and the riots against police action 55 years ago “remain a symbol of a legacy and leadership in the LGBTQ+ community.”
“Your love for each other and for the community has brought this center to life,” he said.
Biden was joined at the event by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and local Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
“He’s the best! He’s a fighter!” Gillibrand said of Biden as they danced on stage.
Biden said the Stonewall riots of June 28, 1969 “represented a turning point for civil rights in America and inspired the hearts of millions around the world”
John gave Biden a shoutout during his speech, saying the fight for freedom and equality for LGBTQ+ people continued.
“As a proud English gay man, I can say that it is one of the greatest honours of my life to be here today,” he said.
‘Fifty-five years ago, on this hallowed site of the Stonewall Uprising, gay activists stood strong and sparked a movement that changed history for the better.
“As President Biden reminded us today… do we stand up for our vision and our values, or do we allow misinformation and senseless scapegoating to turn back the clock? No damn way,’