President Joe Biden has largely receded into the background at the White House after giving up his campaign for a second term following intense pressure from top Democrats. Despite occupying the most powerful job on Earth, Biden seems to have been relegated to the sidelines. Do voters want Biden now to formally step aside? The I&I/TIPP Poll has answers.
President Joe Biden has largely receded into the background at the White House after giving up his campaign for a second term following intense pressure from top Democrats. Despite occupying the most powerful job on Earth, Biden seems to have been relegated to the sidelines. Do voters want Biden now to formally step aside? The I&I/TIPP Poll has answers.
To find out what Americans thought, the national online I&I/TIPP Poll this month asked 1,488 adults this question: “Which of the following do you believe is in the best interest of the country?” The poll, taken from July 31-Aug. 2, has a margin of error of +/-2.7 percentage points.
Respondents were given four possible responses: “Biden should finish his term,” “Biden should step down and hand over the presidency to Harris,” “Biden should be removed from office using the 25th Amendment,” and “not sure.”
The answer? A small plurality of 48% said they wanted Biden to “finish his term,” while 41% said they wanted him either to “step down” (21%) or “be removed” through the 25th Amendment (20%). Another 12% weren’t sure.
While differences emerge when you look at party affiliation, what’s perhaps surprising to some is that no one really seems enthused about removing Biden from office, at least for now.
Democrats, at 60%, are most in favor of Biden staying as president to finish his term, with just 34% saying he should go. But a slender plurality of independents (44% stay, 38% go) agree and a significant minority of Republicans (38% stay, 40% go) also say Biden should remain.
Some other demographic patterns emerge. There’s a pronounced young vs. old split, with the younger cohorts (18-24 years, 39% stay, 52% go; 25-44 years old, 41% stay, 46% go) solidly behind Biden stepping down. But those aged 45-64 (51% stay, 37% go) and those 65 and over (56% stay, 33% go) strongly support Biden holding on to his office, despite signs of age-related mental issues.
One other intriguing split: White vs. minority voters. A plurality of white voters (49% stay, 40% go) want Biden to remain in office, while 43% of black/Hispanic voters want him to stay, and 35% want him to depart.
In short, should Biden decide to remain in office, which seems to be the case, it’s unlikely that there will be a popular wave that will push him out.
That wasn’t the only question about Biden’s final months’ tenure in office. Given what even Democrats now agree are Biden’s mental difficulties, particularly in evidence during the disastrous July 21 debate with former President Donald Trump, some have wondered: Is he up to performing his duties when it comes to national security?
Specifically, I&I/TIPP asked: “How concerned are you about President Biden’s ability to handle national security issues effectively over the next six months before his term ends?” The possible answers included “Very concerned,” “Somewhat concerned,” “Not very concerned,” “Not at all concerned,” and “Not sure.”
On this, the voting public appears worried. Overall, 62% said they were either very concerned (39%) or somewhat concerned (23%). Meanwhile, just 32% described themselves as either not very concerned (16%) or not at all concerned (16%).
That concern expressed in numbers showed solid consensus, nearly across the board. Among the 36 separate demographic categories routinely polled, this month only two — Democrats (42%) and self-described Liberals (37%) — came in below 50%.
How can it be that many of the same people who say they want Biden to remain in office would at the same time record such high levels of concern over an increased national security threat if Biden doesn’t leave?
For one, it’s not really clear that Biden is exercising operational control over the White House these days, with large tracts of his official schedule taken up with personal time and trips to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach and burnishing his “legacy.”
The fact is, he seems to be slipping mentally, which even the New York Times now bluntly admits, reporting that “Biden’s lapses are said to be increasingly common and worrisome.”
That would seem to suggest a dangerous power vacuum at the top, with the White House effectively being run by aides, not the president himself.
Unfortunately the world is full bad neighborhoods run by even worse “leaders,” from Xi Jinping in China and Kim Jong-un in North Korea, to Vladimir Putin in Russia and the parade of extremist, terrorism-supporting mullahs who have led Iran since its 1979 revolution.
A startling recent report by the Commission on the National Defense Strategy issued this stark warning:
The threats the United States faces are the most serious and most challenging the nation has encountered since 1945 and include the potential for near-term major war. The United States last fought a global conflict during World War II, which ended nearly 80 years ago. The nation was last prepared for such a fight during the Cold War, which ended 35 years ago. It is not prepared today.”
That lack of preparation or even concern about U.S. national security seems to begin at the very top of our government. It includes politicized spy agencies, the new “woke” military, and foreign policy officials who openly back terrorist groups (Hamas, for instance) while vilifying our best allies (Israel).
At the top? Right now, a leadership vacuum.
“Biden has disappeared from view, Harris is campaigning full-time, and won’t meet with the press,” former White House national security adviser K.T. McFarland told Fox News Digital.
“This sends a signal to the world that there is no one in charge in the White House,” she said. “Our allies wonder whether they can trust us. Our adversaries see this as a wide open window of opportunity, when they can exploit us without risk of consequences.”
In short, as the cliche goes, we live in dangerous times. In the waning half-year of Biden’s term, it looks as if America will be living in a state of heightened concern over foreign powers moving against our fundamental interests. That includes the possibility of another major domestic act of terror, like 9/11. Will Americans be thinking about this when they vote this November?
Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. U.S. Criticizes Israeli PM’s ‘Maximalist’ Ceasefire Stance – BBC
A senior U.S. administration official has pushed back at reported comments by Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the Israeli prime minister of making “maximalist statements” that are “not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line.”
It comes amid an intense round of regional diplomacy by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as Washington tries to drive progress on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
2. Hamas Says Biden Remarks ‘Green Light’ For Israel To Continue War – AFP
Hamas condemned claims by President Joe Biden that it was backing away from a Gaza truce deal, calling his remarks a “green light” for Israel to continue the war.
The “misleading claims… do not reflect the true position of the movement, which is keen to reach a ceasefire” agreement, the Palestinian militant group said in a statement. Hamas said Biden’s remarks reflect a clear “American bias” toward Israel and Washington’s complicity in the “war of extermination against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
3. Blinken: IDF Withdrawals From Gaza Part Of Cease-Fire Deal To Which Israel Agreed – UPI
A cease-fire and hostage-release deal in the Israel-Hamas war includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in response to reports that PM Benjamin Netanyahu was adamant that an Israeli presence would remain in the Palestinian enclave.
Blinken – currently on his ninth trip to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 attack – is pushing a so-called bridge cease-fire deal to narrow differences between the warring sides to bring about a permanent halt in the fighting and the release of more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas.
4. Ukraine Launches Drone Attack On Moscow, Other Regions: Russian Officials – Reuters
Ukraine launched a widespread drone attack on Russia on Wednesday, with air defense units destroying three drones some 24 miles south of the Kremlin and 15 over the border of the Bryansk region, Russian officials said.
The three attack drones heading towards Moscow were downed over the city of Podolsk in the Moscow region, Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app.
5. Day After Putin’s Visit, Azerbaijan Applies To Join BRICS Alliance – RFE/RL
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizadeh announced that the country has officially applied to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the South Caucasus country.
The bloc that initially included just five nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—has recently seen a major expansion. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates joined in January, and Saudi Arabia has said it’s also considering joining.
6. Putin Inspects Troops With Kadyrov On First Chechnya Visit Since 2011 – Al Jazeera
The surprise trip comes as Moscow fights to push Ukrainian forces out of its Kursk region two weeks after they crossed the border in the largest invasion of Russia since World War II.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has often described himself as Putin’s “foot soldier.” Kadyrov, who Putin made Chechnya leader in 2007, has used money from Moscow to rebuild the shattered territory, but rights groups say Kadyrov rules through violence and intimidation.
7. Report: Biden Approved China-Focused Nuclear Strategic Plan – D.W.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that President Joe Biden gave the green light in March for a top-secret strategic nuclear plan that, for the first time, reshapes Washington’s strategy to focus on China’s expansion of its nuclear arsenal.
The plan also reportedly seeks to prepare the U.S. for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia, and North Korea. The NYT said Washington had never announced that Biden had approved the new proposal, entitled the “Nuclear Employment Guidance,” but an unclassified notification to Congress of the revision is expected to be sent before Biden departs the White House in January 2025.
8. China Mulls Making Marriage Easier As Rates Plummet – RFA
As more young people stay single, the Ministry of Civil Affairs published draft changes to marriage rules that would drop the requirement for couples to produce their household registration or hukou documents when getting hitched.
Government figures show that the number of Chinese couples getting married for the first time tumbled 8.3% in the first quarter, resuming its slide over the past decade amid a tanking economy, rampant youth unemployment, growing awareness of gender equality, and changing priorities.
9. HK Press Freedom Sinks To Record Low – AFP
This year, journalists’ ratings dropped to a record low of 25, down 0.7 points from last year and 17 points from the survey’s launch.
Since 2013, the Press Freedom Index has been published every year by the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) and the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute. It ranks the city’s media environment on a zero-to-100 scale, with 100 being a perfect score.
10. Taiwan Conducts Missile Drills At Sensitive Test Site – AFP
Taiwan conducted missile drills on Tuesday at a sensitive test site, simulating the interception of enemy fighters and munitions. The East Asian island is seeking to step up “combat effectiveness” against an increasingly assertive China.
On Tuesday, the military domestically fired Sky Bow III and U.S.-made Patriot II missiles into the sky from its Jiupeng base in southern Pingtung County.
11. Uyghurs Sentenced To Cumulative 4.4 Million Years In Prison: Study – RFA
All told, Uyghurs imprisoned by China in the far-western region of Xinjiang have been sentenced to a cumulative 4.4 million years, a report by Yale University’s Genocide Studies Program says.
And the true tally is probably far higher, researchers said.
The figure highlights the scale and severity of the Chinese government’s crackdown on the mostly Muslim Uyghurs since 2017 when thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities were herded into re-education camps and prisons.
12. Xi Pledges Fiji PM Closer China Ties For ‘Ocean Of Peace’ – RFA
Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to deepen development ties with Fiji and support Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s plan for an “ocean of peace” as the Pacific leader finished a 10-day visit to the Asian superpower.
Fiji’s relations with China have cooled under Rabuka. Earlier this year, Rabuka reset a police cooperation agreement with Beijing, which was a significant blow to Chinese security interests in the South Pacific.
13. European Union Proposes Reduced Tariffs On Tesla, Chinese-Made EVs – UPI
The European Union introduced a draft proposal to reduce the anticipated tariffs on several Chinese electric vehicle firms and Tesla vehicles made in China.
In a statement, the EU said the planned tariff on Tesla vehicles imported from China would be downsized from 20.8% to 9%. In June, The alliance said that “unfair subsidies” provided to EVs made in China were an economic threat to European electric vehicles.
14. North Korean Soldier Crosses Border Into S. Korea: Military – Yonhap
The North Korean, wearing a military uniform, is believed to have walked southward through a path near the Donghae road along the east coast—one of the two rare roads connecting the two Koreas where the North has installed mines and removed street lights.
The defection came just 12 days after a North Korean resident defected to the South by crossing the neutral zone of the Han River estuary located west of the inter-Korean land border.
15. Mpox Is ‘Not The New COVID,’ WHO Says – D.W.
Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a UN media briefing that global health authorities know much about mpox and how to control its spread despite having declared it a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) last week.
However, in two years, the WHO has twice declared the spread of pox a global health emergency. In 2022, the disease spread to more than 70 countries with no reported cases.
16. Dialysis Not Always Best Choice For Seniors With End-Stage Kidney Failure – HealthDay News
Some seniors with end-stage kidney failure who are too sick for a transplant probably should skip dialysis because the health trade-offs aren’t worth it, a new study says.
Seniors who started dialysis immediately after diagnosis with kidney failure only lived an average of nine days longer than those who either waited at least a month to start or never bothered with the treatment, researchers found.
17. U.S. Births Continue Decline, Falling 17% Since 2007 – HealthDay News
Final government data finds the number of U.S. births falling by 2% last year compared to 2022, continuing a decades-long decline.
According to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annual U.S. birth numbers have fallen by 17% since peaking in 2007. The general fertility rate (births per 1,000 women) has also tumbled by 21% over that period.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
