A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday shows President Joe Biden trailing Donald Trump by 10 percentage points nationally, though that number is “probably an outlier” in part due to other recent polls showing a tight contest, as the Post notes.
Still, Biden’s disapproval rating remains relatively high, as shown by another poll conducted by NBC News that was also published Sunday. In that survey of 1,000 registered voters earlier this month, 56 percent of respondents disapprove of the president’s job performance — the highest mark since he has been in office.
Among the demographics where Biden is not cracking 50 percent are young voters between 18 and 34, women and Latino — all areas where Democratic candidates traditionally best their Republican challengers. Biden is also underwater among independents, with just over one-third (36 percent) giving their approval.
Biden’s age and health are also top of mind for most voters, with nearly three out of four having major or moderate concerns. Regarding the age and health of Trump, who at age 77 is three years Biden’s junior, 47 percent of voters have the same level of concern.
Additionally, just under 60 percent of Democratic primary voters want Biden to be challenged for the 2024 Democratic nomination, according to the NBC News poll. That number closely aligns with the ABC News/Post poll finding that 62 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents don’t want Biden as the nominee.
While the ABC News/Post poll of just more than 1,000 registered voters showed Trump with a wide lead against Biden, other polls have tended to show a neck-and-neck race, with the NBC poll having the pair tied at 46 percent.
As to the potential causes of such an “outlier,” the order of questions in the ABC News/Post poll could be one, according to public opinion researcher Gary Langer. (Respondents were first asked about a variety of topics, such as the economy, many of which showed poor results for Biden).
Voters could also just be sending a message, Langer explained.
“It’s best seen as an opportunity for the public to express its like or dislike of the candidates,” he wrote. “Biden is broadly unpopular and doubts about his suitability for a second term are extensive; wherever they end up in more than a year, a substantial number of Americans today are taking the opportunity to express their displeasure.”
