Joe Biden may be in for a shock — if recent polling is accurate.
According to the Washington Examiner, a series of recent polls have shown that a majority of Americans approve of the job President Donald Trump is doing, and the president’s supporters are far more enthusiastic than his opponents’.
Trump’s not out yet
Democrats have long been content to declare the presidential election a certain defeat for Trump, borne aloft by favorable polls showing Biden ahead by double digits in some cases.
But contrasting with the gloomy picture of a collapsing presidency painted by Dems, pollsters, and the media, a Rasmussen poll Monday found that 51% of voters approved of Trump’s performance, according to the Examiner. That’s higher than Obama’s rating at the same time during his presidency, 44%, the Examiner noted.
As of Wednesday, Trump was down to 48%, still higher than Obama’s 46%, Rasmussen reported.
While Rasmussen has been famously panned by critics as Trump-friendly, it’s hardly the only indicator that things are looking up for the Donald. As the Examiner noted, a YouGov poll found that 68% of Trump supporters are enthusiastic about Trump, compared to less than half — 40% — for Biden.
Biden is not exactly known for conjuring excitement, of course, but his supporters are hoping that anti-Trump sentiment will be just strong enough to put him over the edge. According to Rasmussen, however, there might be less of it than believed.
Turn-around coming?
You could read the tea leaves all day long, but these aren’t exactly the signs of a Biden landslide.
The popular RealClear Politics average show Trump behind in battleground states by a bigger margin then he was in 2016, when he defeated Clinton in a historic upset. Will an advantage in enthusiasm translate into a surge of “hidden” voters for Trump, like last time?
A better question might be whether Biden has the staying power to match Trump. Whether he implodes at the debates, as some expect, it is premature to say that the polling today is somehow decisive. The election is still weeks away, and voters haven’t seen very much of the candidate in action.
The polling for Trump isn’t as bad as it sounds, and if Biden’s plan is to steer clear of the spotlight until Nov. 3, he may be in for a rude awakening, like his predecessor.
Trump should not be complacent, but it looks like Biden shouldn’t be either.
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