Only 54% Think Biden Capable of Debating Trump
A New York Times columnist has urged likely Democratic nominee Joe Biden not to debate President Trump in the fall. Most voters think that’s a bad idea, although only just over half believe Biden is even up to debating Trump given ongoing questions about his mental health.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters think Biden is capable of debating the president. Thirty-six percent (36%) disagree and say he is not capable of such a debate. Another 11% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
But then 38% of all voters, including 20% of Democrats, believe Biden is suffering from some form of dementia. Sixty-one percent (61%) think it is important for him to address the dementia issue publicly.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of voters think it is important for Biden and Trump to hold one or more televised presidential debates this fall, with 51% who say it’s Very Important.
Fifty-six percent (56%) believe it would hurt Biden’s candidacy if he refused to debate Trump. Only nine percent (9%) say it would help him, while 29% feel a failure to debate would have no impact on Biden’s bid for the White House.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted July 9 and 12, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
The good news for Biden is that 51% of voters continue to say they’re likely to vote against Trump this fall, and most of these voters don’t seem to care who runs against him.
Sizable majorities of voters in most demographic categories consider debates important to the presidential campaign this fall.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Democrats believe Biden is capable of debating Trump, but only 32% of Republicans and 49% of voters not affiliated with either major party agree.
Even among his fellow Democrats, a plurality (47%) feels Biden’s candidacy would be hurt if he refused to debate the president. Of course, that compares to 62% of Republicans and 60% of unaffiliated voters.
Voters who don’t think Biden is capable of debating Trump place a lot more importance on debates this fall than do those who feel he’s up to the challenge.
The first Rasmussen Reports weekly White House Watch survey finds Biden leading Trump by 10 points. These findings will be updated every Wednesday at noon Eastern.
One-in-four Black voters agree with Biden that a Black voter who chooses Trump over the former vice president is not really Black. Biden later apologized for the remark.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it's free) or follow us on Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted July 9 and 12, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Related Articles
Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.
We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.
Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.
To learn more about our methodology, click here.
