If the U.S. does fail to raise the debt limit by the so-called X-date, Americans are torn on whom to blame, according to the poll. Three-quarters of Democrats would blame congressional Republicans, while nearly as many Republicans — 73 percent — point the finger at President Joe Biden.
Though the exact date the Treasury will no longer have the means to pay the country’s bills is still up in the air, experts have warned that U.S. default would mean economic catastrophe. Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have been in a deadlock over the plan to raise the debt limit, and despite meeting on multiple occasions to discuss the matter, the two have struggled to come to an agreement.
The looming deadline has put pressure on Biden, who launched his reelection campaign last month. In addition to the debt limit deadlock, Biden is facing a crisis at the country’s southern border, as well as concerns about his age. According to the poll, 62 percent of Americans view the president’s mental fitness as a concern. That includes 84 percent of Republicans, 69 percent of independents and 36 percent of Democrats. Fifty-one percent of those who responded to the poll said the mental fitness of former President Donald Trump — the front-runner in the GOP primary — was concerning.
Biden, who is 80, has taken the criticism in stride, saying that he respects voters “taking a hard look at it,” but that he feels good and his age “doesn’t even register” with him.
The poll, which was conducted between May 15-18, surveyed 1,286 people and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.