CNN Anchor Has No Choice But to Deliver 'Horrible News' for Biden On-Air
CNN’s Jake Tapper did not even try to sugarcoat the latest news from a poll that assessed President Joe Biden’s support.
“Horrible news. Horrible for Joe Biden,” Tapper said Thursday as he launched into the results of CNN’s latest poll tracking Biden’s plummeting support.
“Those are some bad numbers,” he said.
A new CNN poll shows Americans’ widespread view that Biden’s reelection would be more negative than positive for the country @DavidChalian reports pic.twitter.com/z5JkarxCMJ
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) May 25, 2023
How bad? The poll said that only 33 percent of those surveyed believe Biden winning a second term would be a step forward or a triumph for the country, according to CNN.
The poll noted that 41 percent of voters said electing Biden would be a disaster, while 26 percent said it would be a setback for the nation.
Biden’s favorability dropped from 42 percent in December to 35 percent in the newest poll.
“Thirty-five percent favorable. That is remarkably low,” CNN political director David Challian said.
Challian also noted that Biden’s support among independents had shrunk from 35 percent in December to 26 percent in the new poll.
“That’s a big warning sign,” he said.
Although the poll showed Biden having a strong majority of support to be the Democrats’ 2024 nominee, Challian said there was an underlying weakness behind the numbers.
Overall, 60 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters back Biden, while 20 percent support Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and 8 percent support author Marianne Williamson, the same percentage that support someone else.
Challian said there was a “potential warning sign” in the support Kennedy received from independents, noting that Kennedy received 32 percent support among Democratic-leaning independents against 40 percent for Biden.
The poll was conducted by SSRS from May 17-20 among a random national sample of 1,227 registered voters, including 432 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. The margin of error for the full sample was 3.7 percentage points; the margin of error among Democrats was 6.2 percentage points.
They should be concerned. And that’s why we’re pushing for mental competency tests for politicians 75+. Too much is at stake. https://t.co/9SjV5TiAoG
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 25, 2023
The CNN survey was not the only bad news for Biden. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that 62 percent of respondents said Biden’s mental fitness for the job is a concern as the 2024 election approaches. Only 36 percent said it was not a concern.
An NPR analysis of the number said 69 percent of survey respondents under 45, while 64 percent of non-white respondents and 63 percent of suburban residents felt concerns over Biden’s mental condition. The survey had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
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