Trump, Biden dead even nationally with first presidential debate just nine days away: poll
The race for the White House between former President Donald Trump and President Biden is neck-and-neck, a new poll shows.
Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, each received 49% support among registered voters nationwide, according to the NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll survey out Tuesday, with the presumptive Republican nominee receiving a one-point uptick in support from the previous poll in late May and the incumbent Democrat’s backing dropping by a single point.
When other candidates were added to the race, Trump topped Biden 42% to 41%, followed by independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (11%), independent Cornel West (3%), Green Party candidate Jill (1%), and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver (1%).
The poll concluded that Kennedy received similar levels of support from both would-be Trump and Biden voters, while West, Stein, and Oliver combined to cost Biden 7% of the vote.
Trump narrowly led among those who said they were definitely voting Nov. 5, winning the head-to-head vote 50% to 49% and edging Biden in the five-way race 44% to 43%.
Both major party candidates received similarly poor approval ratings, with 53% each saying they had an unfavorable view of both men.
Among registered voters, however, Biden squeaked by Trump in the favorability score, with 43% saying they had an approving view of the president and 42% saying they had a good opinion of his predecessor.
Another key finding in the poll showed that Trump beat Biden by seven percentage points (48% to 41%) among so-called “double-haters” — voters who dislike both candidates.
However, Biden led Trump by two percentage points (50% to 48%) among self-declared independents, a rare lead for the president in the critical voting bloc.
More than half (54%) of registered voters also said they were dissatisfied with the two major party candidates — including 58% of those who said they were voting for Biden or leaning toward doing so. Among confirmed or likely Trump supporters, 50% said they were satisfied with their options, while 49% said they were not.
“Although the topline results remain largely the same, there are interesting developments under the hood,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement.
“Since Trump’s guilty verdict in the New York hush money trial, some familiar electoral patterns have re-emerged. Biden’s standing has improved among independent and non-white voters, and Trump has secured greater support among white voters.”
Trump’s May 30 conviction on 34 counts of business fraud brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has made an impression on voters, with 51% saying Trump “definitely” or “probably” should spend time in prison for the offense.
Voters split over who would be best equipped to tackle most of the pressing challenges facing the US, with Trump winning on the economy (54% to 45%), immigration (54% to 44%), and the US role on the world stage (50% to 49%), while Biden grabbed the lead on abortion (55% to 41%), and preservation of democracy (53% to 45%).
Trump and Biden are scheduled to square off June 27 in the first presidential debate of the general election cycle in Atlanta.
Nearly two-thirds of registered voters (65%) say they intend to watch the debate, compared to 22% who won’t watch but plan to follow the news afterward and 12% who won’t pay attention to it.
The poll sampled 1,184 registered voters June 10–13 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
