Washington, July 3: Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, has a better chance of retaining the White House in the US presidential polls than her boss President Joe Biden, according to the latest CNN poll.
The approval rating of Biden, 81, has plummeted after his dismal debate performance in Atlanta last week against his predecessor and Republican rival Donald Trump.
Since the debate, there have been increasing voices in the ruling Democratic Party for Biden, the oldest sitting US President, to step down and let someone else run the race for the crucial November 5 presidential elections. According to the poll conducted by SRS, Trump, 78, is ahead of Biden by six points.
The poll also finds Harris, 59, within striking distance of Trump in a hypothetical matchup: 47 per cent of registered voters support Trump, 45 per cent back Harris, a result within the margin of error that suggests there is no clear leader under such a scenario. “Harris’ slightly stronger showing against Trump rests at least in part on broader support from women (50% of female voters back Harris over Trump vs. 44% for Biden against Trump) and independents (43% Harris vs. 34% Biden),” the polls said.
Supreme Court opinion could embolden Trump
In her dissent from a Supreme Court opinion that afforded former President Donald Trump broad immunity, Justice Sonia Sotomayor pondered the potential doomsday consequences: A president could pocket a bribe for a pardon, stage a military coup to retain power, order the killing of a rival by the Navy SEAL Team Six – and be protected from prosecution for all of it. The scenarios may sound part of an apocalyptic future. But the plain reality of the 6-3 opinion is that it ensures presidents have a wide berth to carry out official acts without fear of being criminally charged and it could embolden Trump, who was impeached twice and faced four separate prosecutions over the last year and a half, as he eyes a return to the White House. (PTI/AP)
