Survey: Biden almost caught up with Trump’s early polling popularity

Joe Biden is finally walking toe-to-toe with his front-running rival for the 2024 US elections, Donald Trump. A new survey by The New York Times and Siena College demonstrates that the present-day president has nearly caught up with the former president’s early polling numbers.

In this combination photo, President Joe Biden speaks in Milwaukee, March 13, 2024, left, and former President Donald Trump speaks in New York, Jan. 11, 2024. Voters in Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island will weigh in Tuesday, April 2, on their parties’ presidential nominees, a largely symbolic vote now that both Biden and Trump have locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations. (AP Photo)(AP)

With their numbers nearly tied, Trump still holds the advantage with a 46% to 45% race. While he still has the edge over Biden, the Democratic front-runner’s chart has reflected severe improvement since February end, when the gap between the two candidates was more expansive, with Biden trailing 5% behind Trump.

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Early polling numbers: Biden vs Trump

Like these poll results, voters can expect a similar vision of neck-to-neck staunch competition this fall when the real deal unfolds. Beyond the Biden vs Trump race, a 64% majority of pollers stand united under the banner of voters who believe that the US is “headed in the wrong direction.”

Despite the competition getting narrower, the odds weigh against both potential candidates equally, with the age factor creeping in as the biggest red flag. While Biden may be too old for a significant fraction of voters, the other side equally opposes Trump’s stance with his several federal crimes.

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When asked if voters approved “of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president,” 59% net disapproval of his strategies against a net 38% approval rate. Per The New York Times report, a 59-year-old hairdresser addressed Mr Biden as “the lesser of the two evils” in the rematch.

Even then, his age persistently emerges as a significant setback, with 69% of voters viewing the 81-year-old leader as too old to step in as the ideal president. On the flip side, if Trump is elected this time, he, too, would be the oldest US president in history, as he turns 78 in June. Despite their minimal age difference, some other statistics still play in Trump’s favour here. Against Biden’s 69% not deeming him fit to function as a president, only 41% of voters are against Trump due to his age.

The chart also singles out their handling of several issues during their presidential runtimes. 64% favoured Trump’s economic strategies over when he was president. On the other hand, 63% disapproved of Biden’s handling of the economy during his term.

Although the economy turned out to be a strong suit for Trump, Biden beat him with his dealings with the pandemic, unifying America and race relations. Except for the economy, Trump also fared well while dealing with immigration and foreign conflicts, as well as maintaining law and order.

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Biden’s been heckled at several stops of his campaign run as well these past few months, especially for his managing of the Israel vs Hamas conflict. A 23-year-old California bartender and server pondered over missing out on Election Day as a display of protest against Biden’s response to the Gaza issue.

Yet he remarked, “I really don’t like Donald Trump and would not like him to be in office again. That’s why I would vote for Biden again. But other than that, I can’t really think of a good reason to vote for him.”

The US survey results were published just days before Trump’s hush-money criminal trial, a first for an ex-American president. While one could expect Monday’s legal fight between Trump and Stormy Daniels to impact these numbers registered in the pre-elections survey so far, its ultimate effect remains uncertain, especially with 37% of voters claiming they’re barely paying heed to it.

Either way, until now, the poll is a testament to both Trump and Biden being declared a “risky choice” for the nation. See the survey results here.