Donald Trump Arrest Hasn’t Boosted Joe Biden – The latest ABC News/Ipsos poll, conducted from August 15-17, reveals a challenging situation for former President Donald Trump concerning public opinion surrounding his growing list of criminal charges as he attempts a White House comeback.
The fresh news which comes after three prior polls this year following Trump’s indictments, indicates that while Republicans are generally still backing him, he faces difficulties with the wider public.
President Joe Biden, who could potentially face Trump in a 2024 rematch of the 2020 race, also grapples with a lackluster favorability rating.
Trump is currently charged in four criminal cases spanning federal courts in Florida and Washington, as well as state courts in Georgia and New York – 91 charges in all. He staunchly denies any wrongdoing and has portrayed these indictments as political fuel, endearing him further to a base already skeptical of the criminal justice system investigating him.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Trump did experience a boost in primary polls after his first indictment in New York. His fundraising for the second quarter of 2023, amid mounting legal troubles, was also nearly double the previous period.
Joe Biden Flounders
Meanwhile, Joe Biden, who could potentially face Trump in a 2024 rematch of the 2020 race, also grapples with a lackluster favorability rating. Surprisingly, this hasn’t improved even as a significant portion of Americans express a desire for Trump to suspend his campaign.
As for President Joe Biden, he continues to grapple with low favorability ratings. Early this month, 33% of adults had a favorable view of the president. In the recent poll, this figure dropped slightly to 31%, placing Biden at the same favorability level as Trump.
Democrats have sought to downplay concerns about Biden’s electability and instead focus on his legislative achievements and the party’s relative success in the previous year’s midterms.
GOP Support Surges
Trump had boldly asserted during a recent Republican Party event that “Any time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls,” and even joked about needing one more indictment to secure victory in the upcoming election.
Contrary to his claims, the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll demonstrates no major improvement among Republicans compared to a previous poll conducted earlier this month, which took place after Trump’s third indictment related to January 6 and efforts to overturn the election results.
In the recent poll, 20% of Republicans still believe Trump should suspend his campaign, with 15% suggesting he should have been charged in the Georgia indictment. This aligns with the earlier poll’s results.
However, Trump remains the undeniable frontrunner in the GOP nomination race, with most polls suggesting well over half of Republicans plan to back him.
Trump’s favorability ratings with Americans continue to be considerably negative in the latest poll, with 31% favorable and 55% unfavorable—a status quo from the previous poll.
Despite this, Trump maintains a significant lead in the Republican presidential nomination race, with FiveThirtyEight’s polling average showing him ahead of his nearest rival, Ron DeSantis, by nearly 40 points nationally.
Notably, 50% of Americans in the recent poll, up from 49% earlier this month, believe Trump should suspend his campaign, signaling potential challenges for him in a general election.
Critics within the Republican party have long argued that Trump’s baggage could be a liability in a general election, despite his campaign labeling the charges as “un-American.”
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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