US President Joe Biden has commissioned a survey to get a clearer picture of Vice President Kamala Harris’ popularity, ABC News has reported, citing an anonymous senior administration official. The source reportedly told the outlet that despite putting on a brave face publicly, the 81-year-old Democrat has recently become more receptive to calls urging him to exit the presidential race ahead of the November 5 election.
Questions as to whether Biden is fit for a second term have been overshadowing his campaign since he bungled a performance at last month’s CNN-hosted debate against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. During the event, the incumbent repeatedly lost his train of thought, mixed up words and numbers, and struggled to finish his sentences.
On Friday, ABC News quoted an unnamed White House staffer as saying that the “president is wiped and exhausted.” They added that his recent COVID-19 diagnosis “gives him a chance to bring people together, have conversations and think while he recovers in Delaware.”
Biden canceled a campaign event in Las Vegas on Wednesday and self-isolated, after he tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research between July 11 and July 15 among 1,253 adults indicated that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would make a good president. However, among the general US population, only 3 in 10 respondents view the current vice president as a good replacement for Biden, the survey suggested.
Harris has publicly pledged loyalty to Biden, emerging as one of his staunchest defenders in recent weeks.
According to the same AP-NORC survey, at least 7 out of 10 respondents believe the incumbent should bow out of the race. Among Democrats, the figure is only slightly lower at 65%, the poll showed.
In the wake of last month’s disastrous debate, a number of high-ranking Democratic Party members and campaign donors have called on Biden not to seek a second term in office. Yet the veteran politician has been adamant in public that he is not dropping out, and is the best Democratic candidate to beat the GOP frontrunner.
However, on Thursday, Axios quoted unnamed friends and associates as suggesting that the president may end his campaign as soon as this weekend.