Biden gets major boost in new national poll before the CNN debate despite mounting concerns about his age

President Joe Biden and his rival Donald Trump are approaching the first presidential debate in Atlanta on even footing – with the pair tied in a new national poll just days before the high-stakes encounter.

After months of sagging support, Biden and the former president are tied at 49 percent in a new NPR/PBS News/Marist in advance of the debate, to be carried on CNN in prime time next week.

Just 2 percent of registered voters say they are undecided.

Trump holds a slight edge, 50 to 49 percent, among those who say they definitely plan to vote in November, according to the poll.

Biden finds himself in an improved position in recent weeks, although he has not received a major boost from Trump's conviction on felony charges of falsifying business records following his Manhattan trial.

But he has improved his standing among Independent voters, who are the group indicating they are most susceptible to being influenced by the jury's guilty verdict.

Biden leads Independents in the poll 50 to 48 percent. That comes after trailing Trump 54-42 in an earlier survey.

President Joe Biden is tied with rival Donald Trump in a new Marist/PBS/NPR survey, days before the men face off in the CNN debate

Biden and Trump are tied at 49 percent in the new poll

'This may be the group that is most influenced by the results of Donald Trump's legal problems,' Lee Miringoff, who conduct the poll, told NPR. 'But independents are very much more persuadable in the whole sea of things that are going to affect this outcome of the election.'

But in a contest where each side is preparing massive ad campaigns against their unpopular opponent, Trump leads 48-41 among those with an unfavorable opinion of both of them. 

About 9 percent of voters haven't made up their mind who they will vote for, compared to 25 percent who say they have a 'good idea.'

Trump leads Biden by less than a percentage point in the RealClearPolitics polling average. 

Biden's team, which put out a new ad Monday blasting Trump as a convicted felon, knows it needs to improve standing among younger voters and non-whites. 

The results come just a day after the White House was once again forced to answer about a series of awkward videos showing Biden, 81, apparently freezing on stage during events. 

(Trump, who just turned 78, last weekend demanded Biden take a cognitive test, even while botching the name of former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, calling him 'Ronny Johnson' repeatedly.)

Former President Donald Trump has attacked Biden for 'freezing' on stage. Trump botched the name of former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson while calling for Biden to take a cognitive test

Trump has improved his performance among whites, to 55-43, doubling up his lead from May. Biden's 58-40 lead among non-whites is an improvement from May, but he may have to boost his performance to carry key battleground states with a large portion of non-white voters.

Third party candidates continue to be an X-factor. With Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and other candidates, Trump leads Biden 42 to 41 percent. Kennedy is at 11 percent, with Cornel West getting 3 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein pulling in 1 percent. Libertarian Chase Oliver gets 1 percent.