Most voters believe President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in last week’s debate was caused not by a cold or overpreparation, but by dementia.
That is the damning finding of an exclusive survey for DailyMail.com.
Only 10 percent of respondents said they believed a cold was to blame, rejecting the official White House explanation for why the president struggled to answer questions or maintain his train of thought during a 90-minute standoff with Donald Trump.
At the same time, it reveals that Trump, 78, has widened his lead over Biden, 81, to six points, deepening the crisis facing the president’s re-election campaign.
The White House has already had to defend itself against questions about whether the president is “disabled,” in a sign of how Biden’s health has become the focus of the race this week.
JL Partners surveyed 1,000 likely voters and asked them what they thought caused Joe Biden’s disastrous performance at the Atlanta debate last week.
Now that Biden is under intense pressure to step aside, our poll reveals just how widespread those health fears have become.
About 52 percent of respondents said dementia was the cause, including 17 percent of Democrats and more than half of independents.
“The debate confirmed what voters already feared about Biden, and more,” said James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, which conducted the poll.
‘The finding that 52% of voters think his poor performance was due to dementia is hugely significant: no one is buying Biden’s personal excuses or those of his team. This is structural and a problem that is not going away.
‘Majority opinions involving political figures are not normal in American politics due to high levels of polarization. Biden’s health has countered that trend: it is now a majority and unified opinion that Biden has mental problems.’
The poll was conducted between July 1 and 3 and asked 1,000 likely voters to give their opinion. The results have a margin of error of 3.1 points.
Polls show Trump has his largest overall lead since DailyMail.com began tracking voting intentions. He has widened his lead by two points since our last poll in March to six points, while support for Biden is falling and Trump’s is holding steady.
And the results reveal how a faltering performance in the debate has transported the issue of dementia from the exclusive domain of right-wing TV presenters into the mainstream.
Biden’s halting performance, sometimes stopping mid-sentence, prompted calls for him to step down as the Democratic nominee.
Last year, Biden was leading Trump, but the former president has since taken the lead. Trump now has a six-point lead, according to our exclusive poll.
Even Donald Trump seemed surprised by Biden’s shaky performance during their first presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, last week.
Adding to the pressure, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was now legitimate to ask whether his performance was an “episode” or a condition.
Biden’s allies and the White House continue to insist that he should not be defined by one “bad night” in June.
That sparked extraordinary scenes in the White House briefing room on Tuesday when Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the debate.
“I think the American people need a yes or no answer to this question,” one reporter asked. “Does President Biden, at 81 years old, have Alzheimer’s, some form of dementia or degenerative disease that has caused these kinds of lapses?”
Jean-Pierre replied: “No, and I hope you’re asking the other guy exactly the same question.”
He also announced a busy period of activity, including an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos and a news conference next week, as the president demonstrates he is getting the job done.
Biden visited the DC Emergency Operations Center in Washington on Tuesday. The White House also announced that it will hold a press conference next week in its attempt to counter the spread of the virus.
Biden himself addressed his performance at a campaign event hours later, when he apologized to donors.
“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times… shortly before the debate…” he said. “I didn’t listen to my team… and then I almost fell asleep on stage.”
His campaign has conducted a series of damage control calls with donors, staffers and party officials, while a trickle of voices urging him to step aside threatens to become a torrent.
Worry is a gift to the Trump campaign.
The former president has kept a low profile, keeping his vice presidential nomination a secret as attention remains focused on Biden’s team.
“For us, this is a popcorn moment,” said one member of Trump’s world. “Why would we try to generate headlines when the other side is falling apart like this?”