US President Joe Biden leaves the podium after speaking during the 115th National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) National Convention in in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024.
AFP

Calls for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race has been intensifying, with a recent poll conducted by AP-NORC finding that almost two-thirds of Democrats believe the former should withdraw from the race and simply allow the party to choose another nominee.

The AP-NORC poll states that seven out of ten adults, which includes 65% of Democrats, clamor for the withdrawal of the president from the race. The survey was conducted between July 11-15, based on a probability sample of 1,253 adults. Most of the survey was completed even prior to the Pennsylvania incident, during which former president Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet.

The survey indicated that while most people believe Biden to be more honest than the former president, many are of the view that Trump is more capable of winning November and handling a crisis better.

The sentiment was a result of several events, including the initial debate performance between Biden and Trump, which led to an increase in calls for the president to step down as the candidate.

In addition, there is a difference between the support that Trump and Biden are getting from their own parties. Based on the survey, 73% of Republicans say that Trump should stay in the race. On the other hand, only 35% of Democrats believe Biden should stay, Axios reported.

According to Axios, the results of the survey not only showed the degree of damage that was done by the dismal performance of Biden during his initial debate with Trump, but also underscored the concerns of the public, and of his party, regarding his age, as well as his fitness to be in office.

Recently, Joe Scarborough, of the "Morning Joe" talk show and a known supporter of Biden, also urged the president to back out of the race.

"This is not going to end well if it continues to drag out," Scarborough said. He also appealed to those surrounding Biden to "help the president and help the man they love and do the right thing," the New York Post reported.

However, Biden has categorically expressed his intention of staying in the race, despite calls from lawmakers that he should withdraw and allow another party nominee to step in.