Former President Donald Trump has taken the lead over President Joe Biden in national polling, indicating one of the lowest points for Biden’s political standing less than one year before the 2024 election, a new poll shows.
In a head-to-head matchup with just Trump and Biden on the ballot, the former president has a 4-point advantage, leading Biden 47% to 43%, according to a recent poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal. That lead only grows when other candidates are added to the mix, extending to a 6-point lead on a ballot that features seven possible candidates.
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The latest numbers mark the first time Trump has overcome Biden in overall national polling, according to data compiled by the Wall Street Journal over the last three years. The results also underscore the struggle Democrats must face as they consider whether Biden is the strongest candidate to face Trump as the likely GOP nominee next year, citing his age and political stamina as reasons for concern.
Biden must also grapple with faltering job approval numbers, with only 37% saying they view his presidency in a favorable light, according to the poll. That’s compared to 61% of voters who say they view his overall image as unfavorable — a record high for the president.
Meanwhile, voters have also criticized the president’s push for “Bidenomics,” his signature economic policy, with more than half of voters disapproving of the platform — dealing a blow to the Biden administration as they push that messaging as a focal point of Biden’s reelection campaign. Less than 30% of voters say they view “Bidenomics” as being positive, per the poll.
Trump also leads Biden in polling on a number of key issues, with voters saying the former president is better equipped to handle the economy, inflation, crime, border security, and the war in Israel, the survey shows. However, voters said they trusted Biden more with issues such as abortion and overall “tone in politics,” which could boost the president as his campaign revs up next year.
Biden’s team will likely go on the offensive against Trump by using the former president’s controversial comments against him, building on sentiments from voters that view Trump’s personality as less favorable. Voters say the word “corrupt” applies more to Trump than it does to Biden, adding that the current president is considered more honest than his predecessor, according to the poll.
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And although Trump is leading Biden in the polls right now, several voters say a federal conviction could change their minds. If Trump is convicted in any of his four criminal cases, that would shift the playing field to give Biden a 1-point lead, polling shows.
The Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters between Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
