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A slight majority of Americans — 52 percent — don’t expect President Biden to run for re-election in 2024, citing his age, feeble favorability ratings and his response to inflation and rising prices, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The survey found 28 percent expect him to win a second term and 19 percent say they are unsure, according to the Wall Street Journal poll.
Among Democrats, 41 percent say they believe he will run in 2024, 32 percent say he won’t and 26 percent of them are unsure.
The president has not formally announced his intention to run in 2024, when he would be 82 years old at his swearing-in ceremony should he gain a second term, but the report said those close to him suggest he’ll decide after November’s midterm elections.
“You can run for president at 35. I don’t know why we would need the president to be over 75,” Katie Smith, a 20-year-old junior at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, told the Wall Street Journal.
She’s unsure whether Biden should seek a second term.
Julie Hersch said she thinks the president will run again and she will vote for him but questioned his age.
“I just don’t know. He’s getting up there. I don’t know if it’s the best step for the Democratic Party,” Hersch, a 55-year-old Democrat from Millcreek Township, Pa., told the newspaper.
Former President Donald Trump has hinted that he would run in 2024 but also has not made an official announcement.
A hypothetical matchup between the 45th and 46th presidents, according to the poll, would result in a virtual tie — 45 percent — although 40 percent say they would definitely vote for Biden, compared to 38 percent for Trump.
But Republicans hold an advantage going into the 2022 midterms.
Asked what party they would vote for if the election were held today, 46 percent opted for Republican candidates, 41 percent say Democrats while 13 percent remain undecided, unsure or refused to answer.
Among those who say they will vote in November, 63 percent believe the country is going in the wrong direction, 50 percent say the most important issue facing the US is inflation and the economy, and 65 percent say the economy is going in the wrong direction.
Still, 56 percent of Americans view Biden unfavorably — a 2-point increase since November — while 41 percent have a favorable opinion, the poll shows.
Asked about Trump, 55 percent say they have an unfavorable view of him, while 41 percent have a good opinion.
And while 50 percent agree that Biden is trying to do the right thing, 58 percent say the president is focusing on issues that are not important to them.
Biden gets low marks for his handling of the economy (59 percent), inflation (63 percent), securing the border (57 percent), and fighting crime (56 percent), but he’s in positive territory on dealing with Russia (50 percent approve) and his handling of the Ukrainian crisis (47 percent).
Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson, a Democrat, said he doesn’t think Biden will run because “you don’t hear the same level of energy and enthusiasm” in his voice.
“I don’t think President Biden is going to run — not simply because of his age, but he’s been doing this for a very long time. You can hear it in his voice. You don’t hear the same level of energy and enthusiasm,” Jackson, who is running for lieutenant governor, told the Wall Street Journal.
“We prefer to fight for a candidate that we know is going to have the enthusiasm, the vigor and the political chops to really fight for those things that are right. And President Biden is exhausted,” he said.
The poll was conducted between March 2 and 7 and surveyed 1,500 Americans.
It has a plus/minus 2.5 percentage-point margin of error.
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