While many Democrats are calling for President Joe Biden to step aside after what many thought was a lackluster -- at best -- debate, the polls suggest his standing with voters hasn't changed.
A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll has the race as a virtual tie, with Biden leading former President Donald Trump by two points head-to-head, 50% to 48%, and Trump leading by one point when third-party candidates are added, 43% to 42%.
Biden's numbers are actually up one point since last month, before the debate. However, Biden's age (he'll be 82 in November) and abilities are still on the minds of voters. Nearly two in three Americans (64%), including 38% of Democrats and 35% of Biden supporters, do not think Biden has the mental fitness to serve as president, according to the poll. Americans divide (50% mentally fit to 49% mentally unfit) about Trump's mental acuity.
Still, Americans are overwhelmingly more concerned about a president who plays fast and loose with the facts than someone who is too old to serve. The poll shows nearly seven in ten Americans (68%) think it is more concerning if a president does not tell the truth. Nearly one in three (32%) think it is more concerning if someone is too old to serve. Democrats (85%), independents (66%), and a slim majority of Republicans (51%) agree that dishonesty is of greater concern over advanced age.
"Despite a series of cataclysmic political events, including Trump's felony convictions and Biden's abysmal debate performance, the race for the White House remains essentially unchanged," Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement.
"But Biden needs to restore confidence among his party faithful that he can win. And Trump needs to tread very lightly during the Republican convention about Project 2025 and avoid positioning the GOP as too extreme," Miringoff added.
It's hard to ignore that this is the election matchup most people don't really want. The poll shows a majority of Americans (56%) do not think that Biden should be the Democratic candidate this year and a similar proportion (54%) feel the same about Trump.
Regardless of whom they plan to support, 59% of Americans think Trump will win this year's presidential election, according to the poll. Most Republicans (93%) and a majority of independents (58%) think Trump will be victorious. Even 24% of Democrats and 22% of Biden supporters think Trump will win.