New poll: Only Michelle Obama can win the election against Donald Trump

BERLINER ZEITUNG New poll: Only Michelle Obama can win the election against Donald Trump Biden's disastrous TV appearance against Trump is having wider repercussions. The pressure is also growing within his own ranks. Could the former First Lady step in to save the US Democrats? Katerina Alexandridi 07/03/2024 updated on 07/03/2024 - 9:12 p.m. Michelle Obama, the wife of former US President Barack Obama, is the only potential Democratic candidate who could win against the Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in the presidential election in November. This is according to a new poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Reuters. 1,070 adult US Americans were surveyed, most of them registered voters: 348 Democrats, 322 Republicans and 303 supporters of independent candidates. The results show that if the presidential election were held now, Joe Biden and Donald Trump would each receive about 40 percent of the vote. However, about three in five voters, including nearly a third of Democrats, believe Biden should withdraw from the race and his party should put forward a new candidate. The results of the poll, released on Tuesday, show that almost all of Biden's potential successors, including Vice President Kamala Harris or California Governor Gavin Newsom, do not have the public support needed to win against Trump. The only hypothetical candidate who could run against him, according to the results, would be Michelle Obama: 50 percent of registered voters said they would vote for the former first lady, and only 39 percent said they would support Trump. Obama, 60, herself has repeatedly categorically denied that she could be a potential presidential candidate. Crystal Carson, her office's communications director, reiterated to NBC News in March that "Mrs. Obama supports the re-election campaign of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris" and stressed that she has no presidential ambitions. White House seeks to reassure Democrats and voters In light of Biden's troubling performance in the first presidential debate last week, several new polls are giving Democrats even more cause for concern. According to a USA Today poll released on Wednesday, Donald Trump is ahead of Joe Biden, 41 percent to 38 percent. The results of a new post-TV debate poll for the Economist put Trump at 45 percent and Biden at 44 percent. Two-thirds of independent voters also believe that Biden's age "severely limits" his ability to hold office. The White House is trying to dispel doubts about Biden's suitability for the office and make people forget his botched performance in the TV debate against Trump as best it can. The next few days will show whether Biden can survive the fuss about his mental fitness or whether the political headwind after the debate will be too strong. The US President wants to meet with Democratic governors today to secure their support. He plans to give a television interview on Friday. In addition, campaign appearances are planned in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in the coming days. Next week he plans to hold a press conference at the NATO summit in Washington.