Biden needs to get out of the Oval Office.
A recent survey by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland (Post-UMD) reveals that approximately one-third of American adults do not believe President Biden was legitimately elected in the 2020 presidential election. This poll, released this week, also explores changing perspectives on the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, coinciding with the approaching third anniversary of the insurrection.
Comparing the recent findings to a similar survey conducted in December 2021, there has been a decrease in the percentage of adults who perceive Biden’s election as legitimate. Last month, 62 percent of respondents considered Biden’s election legitimate, down from the 69 percent reported in the 2021 poll.
The most significant decline in the acceptance of the 2020 election results as legitimate is observed among Republicans, dropping from 39 percent two years ago to 31 percent in 2023. Democrats, on the other hand, maintained a high level of confidence, with 91 percent affirming the legitimacy of Biden’s election, a slight decrease from the 94 percent reported two years ago. Independents showed a decrease as well, with 66 percent considering Biden’s election legitimate, down from 72 percent in December 2021.
The survey also highlighted a notable trend among those who primarily rely on Fox News for information, as only about 30 percent of this group believe that President Biden’s election was legitimate.
Despite facing four criminal indictments with a total of 91 charges, former President Trump remains a prominent figure in the GOP and a leading contender for the 2024 presidential race. Two of the charges are related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump has consistently asserted his rightful victory, although multiple election audits and over 60 unsuccessful lawsuits failed to substantiate claims of widespread fraud.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr, appointed by Trump, emphasized in the month following the 2020 election that there was no evidence of fraud on a scale that could have altered the outcome. The Post-UMD poll, conducted from December 14-18 with a sample of 1,024 U.S. adults, carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points, with larger error margins for subgroups.