President Joe Biden is ahead of former president Donald Trump in two key battlegrounds — Michigan and Wisconsin — however, he faces challenges in swing states and trails behind his nemesis in Pennsylvania, a new poll showed, mostly due to his debate debacle.

On the night of June 27, Biden and Trump locked horns in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, which left America shell-shocked.

Political analysts attributed the surprise not to the latter’s falsehoods and personal attacks but to the former’s complete failure to grasp the situation.

Biden’s doddering performance against the main Republican candidate in the debate could potentially end his campaign just four months before the election.

Desperately, the incumbent US president is now urging voters to consider his 3½-year record of achievements in office rather than dwelling on his 90-minute debate debacle.

In Michigan, Biden has 48% of the vote compared to Trump’s 43%, while in Wisconsin, the 81-year-old is leading with 47% of the vote compared to Trump’s 44%.

Nevertheless, the Democrat is behind Trump in Pennsylvania, a state where Biden grew up and expected a lot of support. The Republican is leading with 51% of the vote there, while Biden has 44%.

Additionally, he’s trailing in other swing states as well, like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, but the difference is small and within the poll’s margin of error.

As per the poll conducted by Bloomberg News between July 1 and July 5, there are 4,902 voters in the seven swing states, with a one percentage point margin of error.

This poll comes following Biden’s poor performance in the presidential debate, which raised concerns about his age and his capability of serving as president for another term. 

Around half of the people surveyed said Trump won the debate, with only 13% believing Biden had.

Some Democrats are reportedly considering urging Biden to withdraw from the race. The president, however, has stated publicly that he remains committed to running for re-election.

Speaking to ABC on Friday, Biden called his debate performance a “bad episode” and further added that there were no serious concerns about his health. He also mentioned that “most of the Democratic Party still supports him.”

To the dismay of the entire America, the commander-in-chief wobbled onto the debate stage, murmuring, muttering, and frequently fading out as if in a trance — during the first presidential debate. 

Between speaking, he stood quietly hunched over, with his mouth occasionally wide open and his eyes switching between confusion and clarity. 

Even after 90 minutes, he seemed to have the same demeanour as when he entered, as his wife gently escorted him offstage, holding his hand.

However, in households across the country, this worst showing on the part of President Biden, triggered off some serious existential questions.

The octogenarian inadvertently became the poster child for many families’ ageing and sometimes infirm relatives — showing how inherently fragile the human life is.

For many Americans, it was a heartbreaking portrayal of a man deep in the twilight of his otherwise eventful life.