Trump Slightly Ahead Of Biden, But Voters Love The Economy, Poll Shows

(CTN News) – In a public opinion survey released Wednesday, Joe Biden has a slight polling deficit against Donald Trump. There is no indication that his forceful State of the Union address has helped his campaign.

Yet the newly released USA Today/Suffolk University poll also shows that views of the economy have reached their highest level during Biden’s presidency, indicating that voters may be beginning to agree with the president that his policies contributed to the recovery of the nation following the Covid-19 outbreak.

Biden and Trump have won the final delegates they need to win the Democratic and Republican nominations, respectively, after winning primary elections in Washington state, Mississippi, and Georgia on Tuesday. By all indications, Americans are not looking forward to the first rematch between presidential candidates in almost seven decades at their parties’ conventions in the summer.

USA Today/Suffolk University’s survey finds Trump has a slight advantage over Biden nationally, with 40% of voters preferring him over the president’s 38%.

Even though both men have unfavorability ratings of 55%, Republicans are more excited by the prospect of a second Trump administration than Democrats are about another four years of Biden’s leadership. In contrast, 43% of Republicans are “excited” about Trump’s nomination, compared to 22% of Democrats.

As a result of Covid-19, the economy has recovered from the mass layoffs and business closures caused by the recession, but Biden’s approval ratings have been declining for more than two and a half years. The decline roughly coincided with the increase in inflation that accompanied the economy’s recovery.

However, voters’ perceptions of the economy specifically have remained negative despite the White House’s efforts to refocus attention on the strong labor market, ebbing price growth, and Biden’s legislative accomplishments.

According to a new poll conducted by USA Today/Suffolk University, voters are becoming less pessimistic. In the survey, a third of registered voters believe that the economy is recovering, the highest share since Biden took office.

There is a particular importance to tracking this data point. More voters may associate President Biden with the economic recovery, particularly if the economy continues to dominate other issues as we approach November,” David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said.

During last week’s State of the Union address, Biden’s performance was also praised by Democrats. During his passionate speech, the president attacked Trump in a manner that calmed some of his allies’ concerns about the 81-year-old’s ability to campaign effectively.

However, it did little to influence the poll’s respondents. It was almost evenly split among those who watched the speech whether it improved or worsened their view of Biden, and 39% said that it did not make any difference at all.

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