The Democratic Party appears to be paralyzed about what direction to take with President Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance last month against former President Donald Trump.
But a poll released Thursday could give it direction, revealing that half of Americans, including 41% of Biden 2020 voters, favor using the 25th Amendment to remove him from office, and that 56% of Americans, including 39% of Biden 2020 voters, said they believe the president is not mentally fit to perform his duties.
The survey by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek of 1,500 eligible voters was taken July 8 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.53 percentage points.
It found that 51% supported Vice President Kamala Harris triggering Section 4 of the 25th Amendment by getting a majority of Cabinet members to declare to Congress that Biden is unfit to perform his duties in office, with 28% strongly supporting the move. Just 20% oppose it, 21% said they neither support nor oppose and 8% said they don’t know.
The poll showed 41% of those who voted for Biden in 2020 supported the move, including 19% who strongly supported it, with 34% opposing it and 20% neither supporting nor opposing. Among those who were planning to vote for Biden this year, 36% supported the move, including 17% who strongly supported it, with 38% opposing it and 21% neither supporting nor opposing.
Regarding whether Biden is mentally fit to perform his duties as president, 39% of those who voted for him in 2020 agreed, with 35% disagreeing. Among those planning to vote for Biden this year, 34% agreed, with 41% disagreeing.
Among those who voted for Trump in 2020, 69% said they supported using the 25th Amendment, including 44% who strongly supported it, with 8% opposing it and 18% neither supporting nor opposing. Among those planning to vote for Trump this year, 71% support it, with 7% opposing it and 17% neither supporting nor opposing.
A whopping 81% of those who voted for Trump in 2020 agreed that Biden is unfit to perform his duties as president. The figure is the same for those planning to vote for Trump this year.
Biden’s debate performance raised fears about his mental and physical health and whether he can defeat Trump in November, although Biden has said he is firmly committed to his reelection bid.
Even if Harris and a majority of Cabinet members invoked Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, Biden can dispute it, and it would take Harris and a majority of the Cabinet again to declare Biden unfit. Even then, a two-thirds vote in each chamber of Congress would be needed to remove Biden from office.
No president has been removed from office through Section 4 since the 25th Amendment was ratified in 1967 in the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The amendment was created to explain the complete order of presidential succession, and Section 4 deals with the unique scenario where a president is considered to be unable to do their job but refuses to step down.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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