Bad News For Joe Biden: Donald Trump Is Beating Him In The Polls – In a landmark moment in the 2024 presidential election campaign, Donald Trump beat President Joe Biden in a hypothetical election poll.
The poll marks a significant shift in the former president’s favor, where the two longtime adversaries had been mostly neck and neck. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, however, Trump beat Biden by a margin of 51-42.
The latest figures confirm what is only a deteriorating re-election campaign for the incumbent.
Where Is Trump Beating Joe Biden?
To put it bluntly, everywhere.
44% of Americans in the ABC News/Washington Post poll said they were worse off financially under Biden’s presidency – the most for any president in polls by the two publications since 1986. Worse still, just 37% of respondents approve of his job performance (56% disapprove), and even less praise his performance on the economy (30%).
On the topic of immigration, Joe Biden’s figures get even worse. Less than a quarter (23%) approve of his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile, anti-Biden sentiment is so large that 40% would blame him in the event of a government shutdown, compared to 33% who’d lay the blame on squabbling GOP lawmakers.
Trump’s own figures have improved remarkably. In hindsight of his tenure, 48% of Americans say they approve of Trump’s performance in office – matching his peak as president – with just as many (49%) continuing to voice disapproval. The latter figure was as high as 60% when he left the White House in January 2021.
Notably, a majority of Americans believe Biden won the 2020 election legitimately (60%), compared to 29% who believe otherwise. With the two likely to face again next year, concerns over Biden’s age have been raised by 74% of respondents who say he’s too old for the presidency. Trump’s age, at three years younger, is only a concern for 50%.
Party Politics At Play
Despite the infighting among Republican congressmen, the GOP sees much more unity behind their likely candidate than the Democrats.
54% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents favor him for the party’s presidential nomination, matching figures seen in polls for much of the summer. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the choice for 15% of respondents, down ten points from the last comparable poll in May.
The Democrats saw far more division within their ranks. An astonishing 62% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the party should pick someone other than Biden next year, a figure which has been rising over the past 12 months.
That said, any realistic challenge to the incumbent is unlikely, with Democrats deeply divided over their preferred replacement. In an open-ended question, 8% express a preference for Kamala Harris, 8% for Bernie Sanders and 7% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The remainder were scored in the low single digits, while “someone else” was the response of 20% of those opposed to Joe Biden.
About the Author
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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