Whit Ayres’ comments to The Washington Post regarding Joe Biden’s chances in the presidential election:

“If the Democrats persist in nominating Joe Biden, at this point they’re essentially conceding the presidency to Donald Trump,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres said. “Trump waving his fist in the face of an assassin is the very picture of strength. You put that alongside Joe Biden’s vacant stare during the debate and he is the very picture of weakness.”

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Whit Ayres’ comments in The New York Times regarding the political images of Donald Trump and Joe Biden:

Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist, said it would depend on how Mr. Biden framed the argument. “If he sticks to specific things Trump has said, like terminating the Constitution, then he can continue to make the case that Trump is a threat to democracy,” Mr. Ayres said.

But that will not solve the larger problem for Mr. Biden created by the shooting, he added. “After the assassination attempt, Trump’s image as ‘strong’ and Biden’s as ‘weak’ take on sharper relief,” Mr. Ayres said. “If the Democrats stick with Biden, they are effectively conceding the presidency to Trump.”

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Whit Ayres’ comments to The Wall Street Journal regarding the political impact of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump:

“Before yesterday, Joe Biden’s chances of re-election were slim. After yesterday they are virtually nonexistent,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres asserted, suggesting Democrats would likely focus instead on maintaining some control in Congress. 

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Jon McHenry discussed the effect of the presidential debate on swing states including New Hampshire in The Boston Globe:

Further fueling Republican hopes: a recent poll, taken in the immediate aftermath of the first general election debate, that shows Trump leading Biden by two percentage points in New Hampshire — a stark change from December 2023, when the same poll showed Biden besting Trump by 10 percentage points.

“If it wasn’t already, it sure came into play last Thursday,” said Jon McHenry, a national GOP pollster who grew up in New Hampshire, referring to the first general-election debate between Biden and Trump.

Republican “reach states,” including New Hampshire, “became more competitive after that performance,” McHenry said. A year ago, the state “absolutely” looked less competitive for Republicans, he said, “whereas now, you go, ‘Hey, that’s on the table.’”

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Whit Ayres’ comments to NHK regarding the state of the presidential contest:

Reporter: “You recently said that if the election were held today, former President Donald Trump would win the election. Why do you say that?”

Ayres: “Joe Biden is the weakest incumbent President in America since Jimmy Carter, who lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980. The job approval ratings of both Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden are very similar. They’ve gone nothing but down. A big problem is Joe Biden’s age. A recent poll showed that 86% of Americans think he’s too old to serve effectively in a second term. 86% of Americans don’t agree on anything, except the fact that Joe Biden is too old to serve in a second term. So consequently, Donald Trump is ahead of Joe Biden in all the swing states and he would win a landsllde if the election were held today.

“There is so much riding on this election. I can’t help but think, given the unpopularity of both major figures, given the challenges they have coming up with trials and age, that this election may be decided by events that haven’t happened yet. We don’t know what could happen between now and November but it feels unstable. Yes, we’re very likely to get Joe Biden versus Donald Trump, but we need to hold at least in the back of our minds the possibility that something could happen to shake that up between now and November.”

To watch the full interview, please click here.