The new polling by ABC News/The Washington Post, which was conducted from July 12 to 15, showed that 54 percent of Americans said they trust Biden more to handle the pandemic, while just 34 percent said they trust Trump more to do so. That’s a dramatic change since March, when 45 percent said they trusted the president more and only 43 percent thought Biden would do a better job.
Trump’s overall job approval rating still remains slightly higher than his marks on the pandemic, with 39 percent of respondents saying they approve of the president. But that’s down from 46 percent in March, while 57 percent of respondents now said they disapprove of Trump. In March, just 48 percent disapproved of the president.
Among registered voters, 55 percent said they would back Biden if the presidential election happened now, while just 40 percent say they’d support Trump – a difference of 15 points. In March, the president was supported 47 percent while Biden had been backed by just 48 percent.
But Trump is still more trusted when it comes to the economy, a major issue as the pandemic has led to historic job losses and a major economic downturn. While just 45 percent of survey respondents said they trusted Biden over Trump on the economy, slightly more – 47 percent – said they had more faith in the president’s economic management. The difference was more pronounced back in March, however, when 50 percent trusted Trump more while just 42 percent preferred the former vice president.
The president and his reelection campaign have been dismissive of negative polling, even as Trump’s numbers have plummeted amid the pandemic and the large-scale anti-racism protests playing out across the country. But many recent national polls have shown Trump trailing Biden by double-digits while the president also appears to be significantly behind in key swing states, including Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
A poll released last week by CNBC/Change Research showed Biden 10 points ahead of Trump. The former vice president was backed by 51 percent of respondents while the president was supported by just 41 percent. Meanwhile an NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey carried out from July 9 to 12 showed Trump backed by just 40 percent while Biden was supported by 51 percent – a lead of 11 points. Another recent poll by Quinnipiac showed Biden ahead by 15 points, with 52 percent support compared to Trump’s 37 percent.
The Real Clear Politics averages of state polls have shown Biden ahead of Trump by about 6 points in Wisconsin, more than 7 points in Michigan, approximately 7 points in Pennsylvania and more than 6 points in Florida. If Biden maintains the states Democrats won in 2016 and manages to pick up these four states, he would be set for victory come November.
However, much can change in the coming months. For instance, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was seen to be significantly ahead of Trump in the polls in 2016. While Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes than Trump, the president managed to pull off a series of wins in key swing states, propelling him to victory in the Electoral College.
