Biden's core support takes big hit after debate, exclusive poll shows | The Excerpt
On Tuesday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page talks about a big hit to President Joe Biden's core Democratic support in new exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University polling. Hurricane Beryl may be a sign of what's to come this storm season. USA TODAY National Political Correspondent David Jackson breaks down the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity, and what it means for former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden going forward. U.S. military bases in Europe have been placed on higher security. The U.S. men's soccer team has been eliminated from Copa America. An Italian teen becomes the first millennial saint following his 2006 death.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024. This is The Excerpt. Today, what exclusive polling reveals in the days after Biden's debate performance, plus Hurricane Beryl makes history, and the Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity.
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President Joe Biden's reelection campaign continues to be in damage control mode after his disastrous debate performance last week, seeking to assure top donors he can still win the election, rejecting calls that he bow out and trying to convince voters that he's up for another term. Jen O'Malley Dillon, Chair of the Biden campaign, held an hour long conference call with more than 500 Biden donors last night after a call with a smaller number of 40 top financial backers on Sunday turned tense amid concerns about Biden's debate struggles. And Biden's core Democratic support has taken a big hit in the days following the debate, according to an exclusive USA TODAY-Suffolk University Poll. I caught up with USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief, Susan Page to discuss. Hello, Susan. Thanks for hopping on.
Susan Page:
Hey, Taylor. It's great to be with you.
Taylor Wilson:
So Susan, I'm going to give the first question just plainly here at the top, who won the debate according to this polling, and were the findings pretty clear here?
Susan Page:
There's no question who won the debate. Donald Trump won the debate. Even among Biden's supporters in our poll, only 28% of them said Biden won the debate. It was a rout.
Taylor Wilson:
And this poll asked respondents why they thought one candidate or the other won the night last Thursday? What reasons in particular, Susan, did they cite here?
Susan Page:
There was one reason that dominated everything else, and that was questions about the candidates' mental acuity. Those who backed Trump said they were attracted by his mental sharpness, and some of those who backed Trump said they were put off by confusion, a sense of uncertainty in Joe Biden's performance.
Taylor Wilson:
And this is really the talk of the town this week. What did this poll find about how Democrats feel when it comes to replacing Joe Biden as the nominee at this point?
Susan Page:
This is shocking. Remember, Joe Biden was effectively not challenged for the nomination. He won every primary except the one in American Samoa. He controls the convention, and yet we found that 41% of Democrats, including 37% of the people who support Biden for president, say they would like Democrats to replace him at the top of the ticket.
Taylor Wilson:
Wow. And as for Donald Trump's base, Susan, do they want him replaced on the Republican ticket and how has he landed in recent days after his debate performance?
Susan Page:
Yeah, it's interesting. There's opposition to Trump. There are a lot of Americans who would like Republicans to replace him at the top of their ticket, but that does not include his core supporters. Only 14% of Republicans and 12% of Trump supporters said the GOP should replace him on the ticket. So the dilemma for Biden is there's opposition for him that divides his core supporters, but while there's opposition to Trump, that does not erode his core support.
Taylor Wilson:
And beyond the respective bases here, Susan, what did we learn from this polling about really just a continued desire across the political board for different candidates than the ones Americans have been offered here in 2024? And in particular, I'm curious about how independents fell here?
Susan Page:
Yeah, Americans are not happy with the choices that they have here. These two candidates, they've been telling us throughout this campaign that they were not looking forward to a rematch of the 2020 contest between Biden and Trump. That is particularly true among independents. Two-thirds of independents want Biden replaced on the ballot. Two-thirds of them want Trump replaced on the ballot.
Taylor Wilson:
All right, interesting stuff. Susan Page is USA TODAY's Washington Bureau Chief. Thank you, Susan.
Susan Page:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
Hurricane Beryl became the earliest category five hurricane on record last night when its winds increased to 160 miles an hour as it slammed through the Southeastern Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected to pass near Jamaica tomorrow before weakening, but it's forecast to remain a hurricane in the Northwestern Caribbean. At least one death has been reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Hurricane Beryl may be a sign of what's to come the rest of the year. The storm has startled forecasters by its location, timing, and incredible burst of activity that took it from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in less than 42 hours.
Only six other Atlantic storms on record have increased from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in a similar timeframe, according to Sam Lillo, a meteorologist and software engineer for DTN Weather. Colorado State University Hurricane Researcher, Phil Klotzbach told USA TODAY that early storms are not necessarily an indicator of what's to come, but Beryl's unprecedented numbers tell a different story this year. He added that Beryl is breaking records that were set in 1933 and 2005, two of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons.
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The Supreme Court yesterday decided for the first time when presidents can be criminally prosecuted. With the ruling, the court said former President Donald Trump is immune for official, but not private acts. So what's this now mean for Trump and Biden? I spoke with USA TODAY National Political Correspondent, David Jackson for more. David, thanks for hopping on today.
David Jackson:
Hey, thanks for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
So David, let's just start here. What did the Supreme Court decide around presidential immunity on this?
David Jackson:
They basically gave presidents wild latitude, whether it's Trump or anybody else. So they said that presidents cannot be prosecuted for what they call official acts. That means basically carrying out the duties of the office. The unfortunate part, at least for the critics of the court is that they really didn't define what official acts are. So it's a very subjective proposal at this point. But the idea is, like for example, if Trump authorized an intelligence gathering operation against another country, he couldn't be prosecuted for that if it happened to violate that law.
So we know that, but the question is whether what he did leading up to January 6th violates the official law or not? And that is pressuring state officials to change the results of the election. That's something that basically they send back to the regular court and ask a federal judge to determine whether or not the allegations against Trump are official acts or not.
Taylor Wilson:
So what does this really functionally mean for former President Trump going forward now?
David Jackson:
David, the most basic thing is that he probably will not... In fact, almost surely, he won't be tried for the January 6th case this year. And that includes both the case in Washington and the case in Georgia because by the time judges rule on whether or not what Trump did constitutes an official act or not, that decision will likely be appealed by either side. And so we're talking years before this situation is settled.
Taylor Wilson:
And how is Trump responding in the wake of this decision?
David Jackson:
Well, he's declaring total victory. He claims it's a great victory for the Constitution. He also said in one missive that the court had given him full immunity. Well, they didn't really do that. They basically said that presidents can't be prosecuted for official acts. Like I said, though, they didn't really define what that was. So he's still on the hook long-term for some of the things that he did leading up to January 6th, but it was a very big victory for him because it means he won't be tried during the election on this particular case.
Taylor Wilson:
The timing of this is significant, David, coming days after the first debate of the year between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, in what many feel was a disaster of a night for Biden. Is the Biden camp relieved to get a change of subject here? And how are they responding to this decision?
David Jackson:
Well, I don't know if they're relieved, but they certainly were anxious for a change of subject and the Supreme Court provided them with one. They're saying that the court is basically telling presidents they can do anything and they won't be punished for it. I don't think the court did that, but it's a political argument. So they're seizing every chance they get to complain about the court and about Trump. And one of the reasons is because as you mentioned, they're trying to change the subject from the debate mishap of last week, and they're also trying to recalibrate the issue. They're saying that Trump was responsible for the insurrection of January 6th and that he needs to be held accountable for it, and now it's up to the voters to do that.
Taylor Wilson:
David Jackson is a National Political Correspondent with USA TODAY. Thank you, David.
David Jackson:
Thanks, sir.
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Taylor Wilson:
US military bases in Europe have been placed on higher security alert due to a combination of factors that could affect the safety of troops and their families, according to military officials yesterday. US European command oversees 83,000 American troops at Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps installations across the continent. The command is redoubling its efforts to stress vigilance during the summer months, according to a statement released yesterday. Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and the upcoming Paris Olympics set for later this month are some of the factors that affect the security environment in Europe. Still, the move appears to be proactive rather than a response to a specific threat.
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The United States men's soccer team lost to Uruguay last night, 1-0, eliminating the team from this summer's Copa America tournament. The US finished the group stage with one win and two losses in the three games, and the failure could force major changes in the team, most notably with the job status of Coach Gregg Berhalter. The team hoped to use Copa America to build momentum toward the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico. Instead, they're now left with difficult decisions that will need to be made in the two-year buildup to just the second World Cup ever held stateside. You can read more from USA TODAY Sports.
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Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teen who died from cancer, is the first millennial to be canonized as a saint. Two medical miracles have already been attributed to Acutis, who was known as 'God's Influencer.' The Italian died in 2006 after battling leukemia.
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Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden's core support takes big hit, exclusive poll shows | The Excerpt
