Biden Trails Trump in Polls Among Pessimistic Electorate: Grim Outlook for Incumbent
With a year left until the US presidential election, new polls depict a challenging situation for Joe Biden as he trails likely challenger Donald Trump among a pessimistic electorate. According to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, Biden’s numbers are particularly bleak among people of color and young voters.
In crucial states like Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the survey reveals that Biden is trailing Trump by four to ten percentage points. These states played a crucial role in Biden’s victory over the Republican candidate in 2020. However, in Wisconsin, Biden holds a slight lead of two percentage points, within the margin of error.
Furthermore, a CBS News/YouGov poll shows Biden trailing Trump by three points (51 percent to 48 percent) in a national head-to-head match-up. The Trump campaign responded to these poll results with a statement expressing confidence in their victory, proclaiming that the American people will replace Crooked Joe Biden with President Donald J. Trump.
In contrast, the Biden campaign remains positive, stating that predictions made over a year in advance often look different when the time comes. They also highlight the polling challenges faced by Barack Obama before his successful re-election in 2012. Biden’s campaign spokesman, Kevin Munoz, emphasizes the focus on reaching and mobilizing their diverse coalition of winning voters.
However, Democratic strategist David Axelrod, former head of the Obama campaign, acknowledges that Biden’s poll numbers are a cause for legitimate concern. He questions whether it is wise for Biden to continue running and whether it is in his best interest and that of the country.
Both candidates face negative impressions from voters, as revealed by an ABC News/Ipsos poll. Sixty percent of respondents hold an unfavorable view of Trump, while 50 percent say the same about Biden. Moreover, 73 percent of US adults believe that things are going somewhat badly or very badly for the country, according to the CBS News/YouGov poll. The New York Times/Siena poll shows that two-thirds of respondents believe the country is moving in the wrong direction.
Economic concerns take center stage in all three polls, with respondents expressing fears about inflation. Ipsos respondents trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle the economy, with 35 percent favoring the former and only 21 percent favoring the latter.
The polls also indicate that Trump and Republicans have the edge when it comes to immigration issues. However, Biden is still perceived as more trustworthy among voters when it comes to abortion, as highlighted by the Times poll. Additionally, on the matter of democracy, the Times poll reveals that respondents prefer the president over Trump, who is currently facing four criminal trials, including allegations of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results.
While a majority of women express a preference for Trump, Biden’s advantage among voters under 30 has decreased to just one percentage point, according to the Times poll. Support for Biden also wanes when it comes to the question of age, with over 70 percent of respondents viewing the 80-year-old Biden as too old to be president, while only 19 percent believe the same about 77-year-old Trump.
These polls were conducted in late October and early November, following a challenging period for Biden due to criticism of the US response to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of protesters in Washington voiced their discontent with Biden’s handling of the situation by calling for a ceasefire and expressing slogans such as Biden, Biden you can’t hide, you signed off on genocide.
In conclusion, the current polls present a mixed picture for Biden as he faces challenges among different demographics and concerns among voters about the state of the country. While the campaigns respond differently to these numbers, it remains to be seen how the situation will evolve in the coming months leading up to the election.
