President Joe Biden is ahead of former President Donald Trump in two key states, Michigan and Wisconsin, but faces challenges in key battleground states and is trailing his nemesis in Pennsylvania, a new poll showed, largely due to his debate debacle.
On the evening of June 27, Biden and Trump faced off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, leaving the United States in shock.
Political analysts attributed the surprise not to the latter's falsehoods and personal attacks, but to his complete inability to understand the situation.
Biden's shaky performance against the Republican front-runner in the debate could potentially end his campaign just four months before the election.
Desperately, the current US president is now urging voters to consider his record of achievements over three and a half years in office rather than dwell on his debacle in the 90-minute debate.
In Michigan, Biden has 48% of the vote to Trump's 43%, while in Wisconsin, the 81-year-old is leading with 47% of the vote to Trump's 44%.
The Democrat is, however, behind Trump in Pennsylvania, a state where Biden grew up and where he expected a lot of support. The Republican leads there with 51% of the vote, while Biden has 44%.
He is also behind in other key states, such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, but the difference is small and within the poll's margin of error.
According to the Bloomberg News poll conducted July 1-5, there are 4,902 voters in the seven key states, with a margin of error of one percentage point.
The poll comes after Biden's poor performance in the presidential debate, which raised concerns about his age and ability to serve another term as president.
About half of respondents said Trump won the debate, and only 13% believed Biden won.
Some Democrats are reportedly considering urging Biden to drop out of the race. However, the president has publicly stated that he remains committed to running for reelection.
Speaking to ABC on Friday, Biden called his debate performance a “bad episode” and added that there were no serious concerns about his health. He also mentioned that “the majority of the Democratic Party still supports him.”
To the dismay of all of America, the commander in chief staggered onto the debate stage, mumbling, mumbling and frequently fainting as if in a trance, during the first presidential debate.
Between one word and another, he remained hunched and still, his mouth open from time to time and his eyes oscillating between confusion and clarity.
Even after 90 minutes, he seemed to have the same demeanor as when he walked in, as his wife gently escorted him off the stage, holding his hand.
But in households across the country, President Biden's worsening performance triggered some serious existential questions.
The octogenarian inadvertently became a symbol for the elderly and sometimes sick relatives in many families, showing how inherently fragile human life is.
For many Americans, it was a harrowing portrait of a man in the twilight of his eventful life.
