TOPLINE
A new Quinnipiac poll showed former Vice President Joe Biden’s lead over President Trump growing several points since April, following polls from the Economist and Morning Consult showing more modest upticks in recent weeks.
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden delivers remarks in Los Angeles, California, March 4, ... [+]
KEY FACTS
The Quinnipiac poll, released Wednesday, shows Biden leading Trump by 11 points, 50% to 39%, a 3 point increase since April.
Trump’s job approval dropped by 5 points to 53% disapprove, 42% approve, while approval of his handling of coronavirus dropped by 10 points to 56% disapprove, 41% approve.
The number of coronavirus cases in the US have grown from 432,000 on April 8 to 1.58 million on Wednesday, while deaths from the virus have grown from 14,700 to 92,300.
Despite a surge in coverage of the Tara Reade allegations since April, Biden’s favorability has grown from even to positive, 45% favorable to 41% unfavorable, while he leads Trump on honesty, leadership and empathy.
Biden also leads Trump by a 16 point margin on who voters think would handle coronavirus better.
This follows polls from The Economist and Morning Consult showing Biden’s lead growing by 1 since last week, which is within the margin of error of both polls.
Key background
As both the coronavirus pandemic and the economy have worsened, Trump has struggled to come up with a winning strategy to diminish Biden’s consistent lead in national polls and polls of critical battleground states. Trump and Republicans have attempted to plaster their opponents as soft on China, although the Morning Consult poll showed Biden marginally more trusted than Trump on the issue of China. Trump has also revisited his 2016 playbook, accusing Biden of being part of what the president has dubbed “Obamagate” and hammering him on his son’s business dealings in China and Ukraine.
Key Quote
“I don’t want to get down in the mud with these guys,” Biden said in response to a question about how he will respond to tactics like Trump’s Obamagate narrative and Donald Trump Jr’s suggestion that he’s a pedophile.
Big number
15.8%. The Congressional Budget Office’s latest projections have the unemployment rate hitting 15.8% by next quarter and remaining at 11.5% by the end of the year. Presidents typically have difficulty getting reelected during recessions–Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush both lost in years when the unemployment rate reached 7.5%.
