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80% of voters concerned about Biden’s cognitive health: DDHQ poll

Damita Menezes

President Joe Biden says he "screwed up" in his performance in June's CNN Presidential Debate.

(NewsNation) — A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll conducted after the first presidential debate reveals growing concerns among voters about President Joe Biden‘s fitness for office and his ability to secure a second term.

The survey polled 1,000 registered U.S. voters between June 30 and July 1, 2024.

The poll results have intensified discussions within the Democratic Party about Biden’s viability as a candidate. Some Democrats have begun calling for Biden to step aside, though the campaign continues to insist that the president is fit to run and serve a second term.

Biden’s cognitive ability

The poll found that 80% of all voters are either very or somewhat concerned about Biden’s cognitive ability to serve another term as president. Even among Democrats, 62% expressed similar concerns.

Independents are slightly more concerned than the general population about Biden’s cognitive ability to serve another term as president (82%):

Question: How concerned would you be about Joe Biden’s cognitive health affecting his ability to serve another term as President effectively? 

Biden’s debate performance

Biden’s debate performance appears to have exacerbated these worries. Only 17.51% of voters believed Biden performed best in the presidential debate, compared to 54.39% who thought former President Donald Trump had a stronger showing.

The perception gap was particularly stark among independent voters, with 53% favoring Trump’s performance and only 15% backing Biden’s:

Question: Regardless of whom you plan to vote for in November, who do you think performed the best in the presidential debate?

Biden’s job approval rating

The president’s overall job approval rating stands at 43%, with 57% disapproving of his performance. While Biden remains popular within his party, with 84% of Democrats approving of his job performance, the numbers suggest potential vulnerability in the general election.

By age, Biden’s performance is rated the highest among older voters. Forty-five percent of voters aged 55-plus strongly or somewhat approve of Biden’s performance as president, while 55% strongly or somewhat disapprove.

By race, Biden’s performance is rated the highest among African American voters, with 57% of voters aged 18-34 strongly or somewhat approving of Biden’s performance as president, while 43% of voters strongly or somewhat disapprove:

Question: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president?

Democratic nominee

When asked about potential alternatives to Biden on the Democratic ticket, voters showed mixed preferences. Among all voters, 27.66% believe Biden is still best suited to defeat Trump in November. However, a plurality (30.70%) indicated a preference for “someone else” not listed in the poll options.

Among Democratic voters, 47% think Biden is the best candidate suited to defeat Trump, while 13% think the same of Harris, and 11% think the same of Newsom.

Other potential candidates mentioned in the survey included Vice President Kamala Harris (8.97%), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (9.26%) and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (6.39%). Notably, these figures trail significantly behind the “someone else” option, suggesting a lack of enthusiasm for the current field of potential replacements:

Question: Who among the following would you say is best suited to defeat Donald Trump in the presidential general election in November?