Joe Biden still has a chance to win the election. Even though voters agreed that the debate was a disaster, very few will change their vote, polls show.
Ipsos surveyed about 5,000 likely voters in the days before the debate and followed up with about half of them on the Thursday and Friday afterward.
Overall, they agreed that President Biden, 81, performed poorly and 60 percent said his opponent Donald Trump performed better in Atlanta on Thursday.
Only 21 percent said Biden did better than his two bitter rivals, and 19 percent said they did not know who won.
Joe Biden hugs pop icon Elton John at an event Friday night as he tries to put his disastrous debate performance the previous night behind him.
Voters in an Ipsos poll agreed that President Biden, 81, performed poorly and 60 percent said his opponent Donald Trump performed better in Atlanta on Thursday.
About 73 percent of debate viewers said Biden’s performance was poor or terrible and just eight percent said it was excellent or good.
Trump didn’t exactly win the debate, however, with only 40 percent rating him good or excellent, 25 percent mixed, and 33 percent rating him poor or terrible.
Biden took a moderate hit in the number of voters concerned about his age, but it was already so low that it couldn’t get much worse.
“Before the debate, 27 percent of likely voters rated Biden as good or excellent when it came to his mental fitness to be president,” Ipsos said.
“After the debate, that level dropped to 20 percent. The drop was steepest among Democratic respondents, who went from 56 percent before the debate to 42 percent after the debate.”
Elton John and President Joe Biden speak on stage at the grand opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center
John greeted Biden during his speech, in which he said the fight for freedom and equality for LGBTQ+ people was ongoing.
A worrying sign for the president was that Black voters, a group Biden needs to win over since they overwhelmingly supported him in 2020, dropped 15 percent in their confidence in his mental fitness.
Voters 65 and older were 11 percent less confident, and sentiment among those with a bachelor’s degree or more fell 10 percent.
“Trump’s mental (39 percent before debate, 41 percent after debate) and physical (43 percent, 45 percent) fitness ratings remained stable,” Ipsos said.
However, when asked about their voting intentions, very few respondents said the debate would alter who they would actually support in the election.
Support for Biden dropped from 46 percent to 44 percent, and Trump was still dead at 44 percent before and after, as was Robert Kennedy Jr. at 18 percent.
On Friday morning, the president rejected calls from dozens of prominent Democrats to step aside and let a younger candidate challenge Trump.
“Fifty-five years ago, at this sacred site of the Stonewall uprising, gay activists stood firm and ignited a movement that changed history for the better,” John said.
The couple spoke at the grand opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in Greenwich Village, New York City.
Following his day of advocacy, he added some star power to his cause by joining pop icon Elton John on stage.
The couple spoke at the grand opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in Greenwich Village, New York City.
Biden said the Stonewall riots of June 28, 1969, “marked a turning point for civil rights in America and inspired the hearts of millions of people around the world.”
He said the Stonewall Inn and the riots against a police raid there 55 years ago “remain a symbol of a legacy and leadership in the LGBTQ+ community.”
“It’s their love for each other and their community that brought this center to life,” he said.
Biden was joined at the event by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and local Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
‘He’s the best! He’s a fighter!’ Gillibrand said of Biden as they danced on stage.
Biden said the Stonewall riots of June 28, 1969, “marked a turning point for civil rights in America and inspired the hearts of millions of people around the world.”
John saluted Biden during his speech, in which he said the fight for freedom and equality for LGBTQ+ people was ongoing.
“I can say, as a proud Englishman and a gay man, that being here today is one of the greatest honours of my life,” he said.
‘Fifty-five years ago, at this sacred site of the Stonewall Uprising, gay activists stood their ground and started a movement that has changed history for the better.
“As President Biden reminded us today… do we stand up for our vision and our values or let misinformation and the senseless search for scapegoats turn back the clock? No way”.