CNN anchor Dana Bash declared Thursday that it’s impossible “to spin” the network’s latest poll showing a dismal outlook for President Joe Biden.
The poll found that Biden’s job approval is just 39%, the lowest rating since the height of the inflation crisis last year. Even worse, the survey found that in a hypothetical rematch for the White House between Biden and Donald Trump, Trump would win: 47% to 46%.
But the knockout blow, the poll found, is that two-thirds (67%) of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters want the Democratic Party to nominate someone other than Biden in 2024.
Importantly, the poll indicates the majority of Democratic voters (82%) don’t have another particular candidate in mind — they just want someone, anyone other than Biden. Their biggest concerns about Biden are his age, his mental sharpness, his health, and his overall ability to carry out his presidential duties.
What was the reaction?
CNN did not sugarcoat the significance of the poll.
Bash opened her show, “Inside Politics,” by declaring that “there is no way to spin this.”
“CNN reads the country’s mood right now and find that America is deeply unhappy with Joe Biden,” Bash said. “Most Democratic voters hope for change at the top of the ticket, and Americans don’t take the president and his word when he talks about his son Hunter.”
David Chalian, CNN’s political director, told Bash the poll is “setting off alarm bells inside the Biden campaign in the White House.”
Earlier, Chalian noted that Biden’s approval rating at this point in his presidency is the second-worst in the modern era — only Jimmy Carter’s was worse — which suggests he is on track to lose re-election.
Meanwhile, CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten explained why this poll shows a “vastly different” landscape compared to 2020.
“[W]hat I will note was there was not a single poll conducted by CNN during the entire 2020 cycle in which Donald Trump got a higher share of the vote than Joe Biden did,” he said. “So, this is a vastly different picture from what we saw four years ago.”
Enten also pointed to a poll metric that is good for Trump: voter motivation.
“This is another potentially good sign for Donald Trump,” Enten explained. “Biden vs. Trump, this is the margin: among those extremely motivated to vote, Trump is up by 6%. Among all other voters, Biden’s up by 6%.
“But these are the voters who are probably most likely to come out and vote. So, I think there’s a real question for Joe Biden. Can he motivate those who may not like either candidate or may be lukewarm on him come out and vote? Because if he can, now it would be favorable for him,” he continued. “But at this particular point, there’s just a lot of good signs for Donald Trump in this poll, given all the stuff that’s been going on for him and many not-so-great signs for Joe Biden.”
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