A slew of new polls had nothing but bad news for President Joe Biden this weekend, but the worst development may have come from Saturday Night Live. The longest-running sketch comedy show opened with CNN’s Dana Bash asking a string of Biden sympathizers about his age, and they all parroted the now-familiar line, in a way clearly meant as absurd, that “behind closed doors, Joe is incredible,” or “a whirlwind,” or “a dynamo,” or “strong.”
No matter how much Democrats may wish it were not so, Biden’s obvious mental decline has become a punchline. And the polls from this weekend only show voters agree with the reality SNL is lampooning.
In the CBS News poll, which has former President Donald Trump beating Biden 52% to 48%, only 32% of voters said Biden had the necessary “mental cognitive health” to be president.
The New York Times had Trump up 48% to 44%, with 72% of voters and 53% of Democrats saying Biden is “too old to be effective” as president.
Fox News had Trump up just 43% to 41%, but only 62% said Biden had the “mental soundness” needed to be president, and the Wall Street Journal had Trump up 47% to 45%, with 61% saying Biden was not “mentally up for the job of president.”
Claims from young surrogates about how mentally sharp Biden is “behind closed doors” are not going to turn these numbers around.
Not that the policy case for Biden is any stronger. Asked to rate the economy under Trump versus the economy under Biden, 65% told CBS News the economy was good under Trump compared to just 38% under Biden. Asked by the New York Times if Trump’s policies helped people personally, 42% said Trump’s policies helped, compared to just 20% for Biden. Fox News respondents similarly reported that Trump’s policies were more helpful than Biden’s policies by a 2-1 margin.
While it is theoretically possible for Biden to turn those policy numbers around, it is also unlikely. Prices at the grocery store are still rising, not falling. Big-ticket items such as homes, cars, and appliances are far more unaffordable under Biden thanks to high interest rates, and there is simply no way Biden has the political will to do what is necessary to restore order to the southern border.
As bad as the policy picture is, however, the age question is even worse. The economy might suddenly get better. Mexico could start cracking down on immigrants traveling through the country to the southern border, but there is zero chance Biden is going to get younger. He is only going to get older and slower and weaker. Time is undefeated.
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There is no way for the Democratic Party to force Biden off the ballot. It is a decision he is going to need to make for himself, and it is admittedly a tough one. Vice President Kamala Harris does even worse against Trump than he does.
But Biden does not have to choose Harris. He has the power to build consensus behind another nominee who could be named at the Democratic National Convention this August. It would be a risky change, for sure, but as the latest polling shows and pop culture indicates, staying the course is looking far riskier.
