When 78-year-old President Joe Biden attends roundtable events, he needs notes telling him where and when to sit.
Teleprompters somehow befuddle Biden as he reads directions for his speech out loud.
Chief of staff Ron Klain can try to cover for the president as much as he wants, but recent polling shows that Democrats have reached a breaking point with President Biden’s leadership.
According to a New York Times-Siena College poll published on Monday, 64% of Democrats want a new nominee for the 2024 presidential election. Only 26% want to see Biden renominated. Age and job performance are statistically tied for the top reasons among Democrats calling for a fresh face.
But it gets worse. Biden’s job approval is now a dismal 33%. Independents are no longer on the fence about Biden’s performance, as 68% disapprove of his administration. Only 70% of Democrats approve of Biden’s performance, which the Times calls “a relatively low figure for a president.”
A majority of Hispanics disapprove of Biden’s handling of the presidency, while a majority of black respondents approve.
Despite all the red flags, Biden still has a shot in 2024. When faced with a rematch between himself and former President Donald Trump, 44% of respondents chose Biden compared to Trump’s 41%. Voters clearly do not like the idea of Biden being president for two terms, but they abhor the notion of another Trump presidency.
Electability is a legitimate lens for viewing candidates, whether we like it or not. In the case of Trump, there are plenty of candidates to choose from in the same ideological mold within the Republican Party. Why should the party apparatus be hellbent on nominating Trump in 2024 when voters view him as a greater evil than the man responsible for rampant inflation and a worsening economy?
When Trump is taken out of the equation, the demographic alignment for 2024 spells good news for the GOP. Hispanics are suddenly evenly split on which party’s primary they plan to vote in, with 38% saying Republican and another 38% saying Democratic. “Other” ethnic groups are also split, with each party receiving 37% of their support. At 60%, black voters are the only nonwhite group overwhelmingly planning to vote in the Democratic primary.
In the head-to-head, Biden bests Trump among Hispanics just 42% to 39%. This illustrates how Biden may be able to win over undecided Hispanic voters in a race against the former president. Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) is a prime example of the amazing work that can be done when the GOP courts Hispanic voters by addressing their concerns.
To Trump’s credit, a hypothetical 39% is a great score for any Republican among Hispanic voters. But it still won’t be any good if he loses. If Republicans want a chance in 2024, they need to nominate a candidate who can go one step further than having an impressive loss — Republicans need a candidate who can win, unless they want four more years of Biden — or worse, Kamala Harris or AOC.
Assuming both candidates get their party’s nomination in 2024, Trump’s legacy may stand in the way of a Republican victory against Biden. The GOP needs a candidate who can focus on the economy and the failures of Biden’s administration rather than a narcissist who incessantly complains about the 2020 election. If your preferred candidate is going to lose against a president responsible for millions of people struggling to get by, perhaps it is time to rethink whom you will back in 2024.
James Sweet is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
