Trump leads against Biden in new New York Times and Wall Street Journal polls

(Patria) - According to separate public opinion polls published on Wednesday by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump has established a significant lead over President Joe Biden in the race for the White House since the two candidates debated last week, Reuters reported.

Biden promised to stay in the presidential race during a call with campaign staff on Wednesday and tried to convince top Democrats on Capitol Hill that he is fit for re-election, despite his halting and shaky performance in last week's debate.

The New York Times and Siena College poll showed Trump leading by six percentage points - 49% to 43% - over Biden among registered voters the Times considered likely to vote in the November 5 election. That was Trump's largest lead in a Times/Siena poll since 2015, when he was campaigning ahead of his 2016 election victory. Among all registered voters in the poll, Trump led by nine points.

The Wall Street Journal poll showed Trump with a six-point lead over Biden, compared to a two-point lead in a survey the newspaper conducted in February.

In both polls, which were conducted nationwide, respondents noted that Biden's age, 81, affected his popularity. About 80% of respondents in the Journal poll, which surveyed 1,500 registered voters from June 29 to July 2, said Biden is too old to run for a second term. That poll had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.

The Times poll, which surveyed 1,532 registered voters from June 28 to July 2, showed that large portions of all demographic groups, including Black voters and those who said they would still vote for him, see Biden as "too old to be an effective president." The poll had a margin of error of 2.8 points for registered voters.

Biden's performance in last Thursday's debate against Trump (78) sparked concern among Democrats about his future as their presidential candidate.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from July 1 to 2 showed Trump and Biden tied among registered voters with 40% support each. That poll showed that one in three Democrats believe Biden should drop out of the race.