President Joe Biden announced his run for re-election last Tuesday in about as ho-hum a fashion as possible. It appears that announcement was not only reflective of the candidate himself but also of many who voted for him in 2020. On Sunday, ABC News’ “This Week” aired a segment with Martha Raddatz traveling to Pennsylvania to get reaction from voters regarding his announcement and what she found wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of Biden or his presidency.

“Democrats are divided on whether or not Pres. Biden should be running again.”@MarthaRaddatz travels to the battleground state of Pennsylvania to speak with voters about Biden’s reelection announcement and the lack of enthusiasm for his job performance. https://t.co/KInxWHwCkT pic.twitter.com/V678UthwjT

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 30, 2023

“Democrats are divided on whether or not Pres. Biden should be running again,” begins the tweet featuring the nearly-five-minute video.  “@MarthaRaddatz travels to the battleground state of Pennsylvania to speak with voters about Biden’s reelection announcement and the lack of enthusiasm for his job performance.”

So right out of the gate, ABC is acknowledging the lack of enthusiasm for Biden. After setting the scene, noting that Pennsylvania played a key role in Biden’s 2020 election, Raddatz begins by speaking with Soneyat Muhammad, a middle-aged professional who spoke frankly of her reservations regarding Biden.

Raddatz: You voted for Biden?

Muhammad: I did.

Raddatz: He announced this week — what was your reaction?

Muhammad: Regret, disappointment, frustration.

The piece then shifts to additional voiceover by Raddatz: “While it’s very early in the race, that disappointment and frustration was expressed again and again by young voters we talked to.”

Several young voters then speak to Raddatz, indicating they’d prefer a “fresher” candidate, Biden’s too old, and they aren’t particularly excited by the prospect of him seeking a second term. Twenty-one year old Elaina Symes says she wants someone more progressive than Biden, and can’t point to anything that makes her want to vote for Biden again. The one thing she likes about him? “That he’s not Trump.”

For balance, we’re introduced to Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), a Biden surrogate who insists we need four more years of Biden and for him to “finish the job,” and is shown stumping for him. Several residents from the Southwest Senior Center in Philadelphia also voice support for the president and, not surprisingly, express less concern about his age. Asked directly about whether she worries at all about Biden’s age, Nancy Gamble states, “No, not at all, no. As long as he’s getting the job done and doing what he’s supposed to do and in the right state of mind, that’s what should be required.”  (YMMV as to what qualifies as to whether/how Ms. Gamble’s metric is met.)

Noting that it isn’t just age that Biden needs to consider but also the geography, given that it was the suburbs that largely landed him his 2020 victory, Raddatz moves on to Northampton County, Pennsylvania, known as a “bellwether county.” There, Steve Davis, who also voted for Biden in 2020, states that the president’s age gives him pause, as well as his ability to bring the party together. Mark Heller, sitting on his front porch, states the single reason he would vote for Joe Biden is “because I’m not going to vote for Trump — it’s that easy.”

Lastly, Raddatz again notes the enthusiasm gap — the commitment that gets people to the polls — as something Biden will need to work on. Back to Soneyat Muhammad:

Muhammad: I feel so uninspired and disconnected from the work that he’s been advancing that it’s not something that I’m really excited about.

Raddatz: So, in the end, if Donald Trump is the nominee and Joe Biden is the nominee, you’d just stay home?

Muhammad: Probably. Get me out of bed, Joe Biden, because frankly, it’s not working.