TOPLINE
A new poll found that former Vice President Joe Biden’s lead over President Donald Trump has grown by 8 points since March, due in large part to Trump’s low marks for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 10: Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Driving Park Community Center ... [+]
KEY FACTS
The ABC-Washington Post poll, conducted between May 22 and 28 with a sample of 1,001 adults, found that Biden leads Trump by 10 points, 53% to 43%.
That’s up from a 2 point lead in an ABC-Post poll conducted from March 22 to 25, when the coronavirus pandemic was escalating in the U.S. and most states were instituting stay-at-home orders, which had Biden at 49% to Trump’s 47%.
Trump’s approval has plunged underwater during the pandemic, from a net approval of 2 points to a net disapproval of 8 points.
Trump’s handling of the coronavirus has fared even worse, dropping from a net approval of 6 points to a net disapproval of 7 points.
Trump is also 27 points underwater on honesty and trustworthiness and 23 points underwater on understanding peoples’ problems, in contrast with Biden who is up 3 points and down 4 points respectively.
One silver lining for Trump is the economy, on which he has an 8 point net approval despite 65% of respondents describing the state of the economy as negative.
Tangent
The poll also found overwhelming support for states’ effort to expand voting by mail: 65% of respondents said they support the efforts, and nearly half said they strongly support them, while just 30% said they oppose them. Mail-in voting has been one of Trump’s white whales throughout the pandemic. He has even gone so far as to threaten relief funding to states that expanded access.
News Peg
The poll is one of the starkest examples yet of how the coronavirus pandemic has damaged Trump’s popularity. The president has been slammed by critics throughout the crisis for frequently detracting from the advice of public health experts, pushing unproven treatments and perseverating on issues other than the virus.
What To Look For
The ABC-Post poll was conducted just before the video of George Floyd’s death surfaced on Wednesday and protests gripped the nation. There is some debate among analysts over whether those will benefit or damage Trump politically. Some have noted that, historically, Republicans, like former President Richard Nixon, tend to benefit from civil unrest due to their law-and-order stance on criminal justice. But others have argued that the fact the unrest is happening under Trump’s leadership, and the fact that his incendiary tweets regarding the protests stand in stark contrast to Biden’s considerably calmer tone, may do more harm than good for his polling.
