NEW YORK, USA: Donald Trump has established a notable lead over President Joe Biden in the 2024 White House race, according to separate opinion polls by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday.
The New York Times and Siena College poll revealed Trump, a Republican, with a 6-point lead (49% to 43%) over Biden, a Democrat, among registered voters likely to vote in the November 5 election. This marks Trump’s largest lead in a Times/Siena poll since his 2016 campaign. Among all registered voters, Trump’s lead increased to 9 points.
Similarly, the Wall Street Journal poll indicated Trump with a 6-point lead over Biden, an increase from a 2-point lead in their February survey. Both polls were conducted nationwide, reflecting a significant shift in voter sentiment following last week’s debate.
Biden, who assured his campaign staff on Wednesday of his commitment to the race, also sought to reassure top Democrats about his fitness for reelection despite a shaky debate performance. However, concerns about Biden’s age, 81, have been a significant factor in his declining appeal. In the Journal poll, 80% of the 1,500 registered voters surveyed from June 29 through July 2 felt Biden was too old to seek a second term. The poll had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
The Times poll, surveying 1,532 registered voters from June 28 to July 2, echoed these concerns. A significant portion of every demographic group, including Black voters and those who still support Biden, viewed him as “just too old to be an effective president.” This poll had a margin of error of 2.8 points for registered voters.
Biden’s debate performance last Thursday against Trump, who is 78, has raised further concerns among Democrats regarding his viability as their presidential candidate.
