Americans May Not Agree on Much, but They Agree Biden Made the Right Choice

For once, American voters are in near total agreement about politics: They (almost) all agree that President Biden was right to exit the presidential race.

In the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, released on Thursday, 87 percent of registered voters approved of his decision to drop out. Only 9 percent disapproved.

Democrats and Republicans probably don’t agree for the same reasons: Republicans have generally always had negative views of the president, whereas many Democrats approved of his job performance but may have seen his exit as the most strategic path forward, or came to accept his decision once he made it.

Still, Mr. Biden’s move has reached a stratum of consensus that little in American public life can touch. We reviewed dozens of polls from the past few years, and it was hard to find anything that more people agreed on.

His exit is roughly as popular as small businesses, background checks for gun buyers and medical marijuana.

About 79 percent of American adults say there should be age limits for elected officials, making Mr. Biden’s decision, which revolved around age, more popular than age limits themselves.

What are some other things Americans have in common? A majority, but fewer than 87 percent, keep a smartphone near them during waking hours; watch fireworks on July 4; tip when getting a haircut; support same-sex marriage; care about climate change; and decorate their home over the winter holidays.

What’s morepopular than Mr. Biden’s choice, per the polls? Not a lot, but tipping at a sit-down restaurant (92 percent of Americans say they do this) is. And the vast majority of employed adults (91 percent) said they were at least “somewhat” satisfied by their jobs.

In Times/Siena polling specifically, 87