ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos expressed his dismay on Sunday over a new poll that revealed a majority of Americans do not believe President Joe Biden has the mental or physical capacity to serve another term in the White House.
The poll, conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post, found that 63 percent of American adults do not think the 80-year-old commander-in-chief has the "mental sharpness" to serve effectively as President, compared to only 32 percent who believe he does, and 5 percent who have no opinion.
The numbers jumped nine points since the same poll was conducted a year ago. The poll also found that 62 percent of Americans do not think Biden is in "good enough physical health" to serve, compared to 33 percent who feel he is and 5 percent who have no opinion.
The poll also asked respondents the same questions about former President Donald Trump, 76. Fifty-four percent said he does have the mental sharpness, compared to Biden's 32 percent. Sixty-four percent said Trump has the physical health to serve as President, compared to Biden's 33 percent.
The poll also showed Biden hitting a new low in approval ratings with a mere 36 percent believing he's doing a good job, down six percentage points since the same poll was conducted in February. Fifty-six percent of respondents also disapprove of Biden's performance.
According to the poll, most Americans think Trump did better at handling the economy than Biden. Fifty-four percent supported Trump's performance compared to 36 percent who believe Biden is doing a better job. The poll also revealed that Trump now beats Biden 7 points in a 2024 matchup.
ABC's political director Rick Klein told Stephanopoulos, "You're seeing real weaknesses in the coalition that powered Joe Biden to the presidency in 2020," adding that Biden's support among Black voters and independents has dropped significantly during his time in office. Klein said, "This race is shaping up [to be] a lot more about the incumbent president Joe Biden than it is about any of his challengers."
In a subsequent segment, former DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile told Stephanopoulos that the "sobering" numbers kept her up at night. "It kept me up, and I thought they should wake up and look at those numbers. It's sobering in the sense that the coalition that elected Joe Biden, with the historic numbers that we saw in 2020, that coalition right now is fragmented. That should concern them."
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