- Biden continues to defend his candidacy after his poor performance in the debate against Trump.
- But the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll showed him making gains in key battleground states.
- The poll showed Biden leading in Michigan and Wisconsin, but slightly behind in other key states.
President Joe Biden's debate was widely panned and his campaign was thrown into disarray.
But while several recent polls have shown former President Donald Trump to have an even larger lead than he had before the debate, a new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll showed Biden making gains in the most crucial battleground states.
The latest poll showed Trump leading Biden overall in battleground states, 47% to 45%, the tightest margin between the two candidates since tracking began last fall.
Biden led Trump in both Michigan (48% to 43%) and Wisconsin (47% to 44%), two must-win states for the incumbent president. The president fell behind Trump in Arizona (45% to 48%), Georgia (46% to 47%), Nevada (45% to 48%) and North Carolina (43% to 46%), but within the margin of error.
But it wasn't all good news for the president. Biden was trailing by 7 points in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he spent a lot of time campaigning, a big warning sign as Trump leads Biden there 51% to 44%.
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll also found that 39% of battleground-state voters — far from a majority — said Biden “definitely” or “probably” should continue to run. Biden garnered higher support among liberals. As for Trump, 50% of respondents said “definitely” or “probably” the former president should continue in the race.
Biden has faced repeated calls from sitting Democrats and many donors to step down and allow the party to choose a new standard-bearer ahead of next month's Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
There have also been multiple reports in recent days that lawmakers are hoping to meet with Biden to discuss the feasibility of hosting a presidential campaign.
Meanwhile, the White House has so far denied reports that Biden is considering stepping down.
In a highly anticipated ABC News interview on Friday, Biden told moderator George Stephanopoulos that he wasn't following his pre-debate instincts because he was “exhausted,” but insisted he planned to stay in the presidential race.
