Joe Biden tried to lay out his platform for a second term in his State of the Union address and convince voters that he was fit enough to rule for another four years.
Independent voters gave their verdict on Friday morning, with some grudgingly conceding he had put in a good performance but giving a mixed report on his fitness.
The results come from a panel of voters assembled by pollster JL Partners and it suggests that Republican reports that Biden was senile or unable to speak for more than a few minutes may have backfired.
With such a low bar, many respondents said they were impressed.
“Joe Biden did better than I expected because… I’m not really a political person, but I’ve heard some bad things about him, so hearing him speak well in his speech has led me to believe that it will be better with him,” said a 27-year-old man. year-old computer programmer who voted for Biden in 2020 but considers himself an independent.
Pundits agreed that Joe Biden gave a “fiery” performance at the State of the Union. But experts don’t decide elections. What did independent voters think of his speech?
To test the responses, JL Partners used a panel of 60 independent voters. The results are not statistically significant, but provide a glimpse into the minds of the public
Biden addressed a joint session of Congress for 68 minutes on Thursday evening.
He took the opportunity to hammer Donald Trump without using his name once. Writers from across the political spectrum agreed it was a “fiery” performance that would boost his campaign.
But what did voters think?
To test its impact on audiences, JL Partners surveyed a panel of 60 independent voters Friday morning, giving viewers plenty of time to digest the headlines and viral clips.
They included a mix of people who said they voted for Trump or Biden in 2020.
When asked for one word to summarize the performance, the most popular term was “good.” But the next most common were ‘boring’, ‘weird’ and ‘terrible’.
And the responses showed that some Trump 2020 voters thought he had exceeded expectations.
“He did a little better than expected because he didn’t make too many mistakes and he wasn’t cheerful,” said a retired independent from Texas.
Another Trump 2020 voter went further. “Did much better than expected,” said the 54-year-old from Louisiana.
The results suggest Biden has exceeded expectations but still has work to do to convince independent voters he is fit for a second term.
The speech is Biden’s biggest set piece of the year, giving him a chance to beam his performance straight into the homes of voters across the country
And a 44-year-old entrepreneur from Texas, who didn’t vote last time, highlighted the absence of flubs.
“I suppose he did better because there were fewer moments of criticism or ridicule,” he said.
But respondents were completely divided over whether he had done enough to prove his eligibility for a second term.
“My opinion hasn’t changed,” said a 2020 Trump voter, 71, from Texas. “He had some good moments and some bad moments.
‘But he seemed a little more involved and had some energy. He must have taken a nap in the afternoon.”
Some coverage of the evening focused on a verbal slip, when Biden referred to slain jogger Laken Riley as “Lincoln Riley.”
And many respondents believed Biden had nothing to show he was up to the task.
‘It hasn’t changed my opinion. He was never cut out for the presidency,” says a 43-year-old math teacher from Washington state.
James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, said Biden essentially had one job to do at the State of the Union: prove to key voters that we weren’t about to drop dead.
Biden used the speech to placate progressive critics who hold him responsible for the carnage in Gaza, and announced plans to build a temporary port to help aid reach those in need.
“He did quite well despite his support for the mass genocide of the Palestinians,” said a 35-year-old female marine biologist from Indiana who said she voted for Biden last time.
“It may be a low bar, but our conversations with independents showed he met it, with many — including Trump 2020 voters — saying he did better than expected, and was feisty and fiery,” he said.
“One Trump voter even said she was ‘shocked’ at how well he did.
“There are still major concerns about his ability to deliver on a strong second-term agenda, and he will need much more than just one good speech.” But Biden engaged with these voters a little more than where he was before the speech happened.”
Overall, 37 percent of respondents said the speech was better than expected, with 20 percent saying it was worse and 34 percent saying the speech was about what they expected.
But one respondent revealed the challenge Biden faces in keeping his coalition together.
“He did quite well despite his support for the mass genocide of the Palestinians,” said a 35-year-old female marine biologist from Indiana who said she voted for Biden last time.