Key Highlights:
- Biden’s worst is 28% approval for handling the Israel-Hamas conflict
- 70% of Americans say economic conditions in the US are poor
- 17% of registered voters have an unfavorable view of both Biden and Trump
- 52% of voters say there’s no chance they would support Biden
A new CNN poll shows former President Trump leading President Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential matchup. Trump has 49% support among registered voters, while Biden has 43%. These numbers haven’t changed much since previous CNN polls.
However, both Trump and Biden have highly unfavorable views from voters – 58% view Biden unfavorably, and 55% view Trump unfavorably. 17% have an unfavorable view of both candidates.
The poll also found that 55% of respondents viewed Trump’s presidency as a success, compared to only 39% for Biden’s presidency so far. Trump celebrated the ‘good poll numbers’ from CNN on his social media platform Truth Social, calling Biden ‘the worst president in US history’.
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The passage also notes Biden’s negative job approval numbers have persisted, with 60% disapproving of his overall performance. His best issue approval ratings are still negative at 45% for healthcare and 44% for student loans. His worst is 28% approval for handling the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Economy and Inflation
Biden’s approval ratings on the economy (34%) and inflation (29%) remain very low. Voters say economic concerns are more important to them than in past presidential elections. 65% call the economy extremely important, compared to 40% in 2020 and 46% in 2016. Voters who prioritize the economy heavily favor Trump over Biden, 62% to 30%.
70% of Americans say economic conditions in the US are poor. Many Republicans who feel this way (41%) say a change in political leadership would improve their view of the economy more than lower inflation, improved personal finances, or a rising stock market. 61% of Republicans say a new leadership would shift their economic views, compared to only 13% of Democrats.
After political changes, 37% say declining inflation rates could change their minds about the poor economy. Far fewer cite improved personal finances (14%) or a rising stock market (3%) as having that effect.
Americans’ views on their personal finances also remain negative, with 53% dissatisfied and 47% satisfied. Dissatisfaction is higher among lower incomes (67%), people of color (64%), and younger adults under 45 (61%).
Key Issues for Voters
When considering other important issues for the upcoming election, 58% of voters say protecting democracy is an extremely important issue, being the only other issue where a majority sees it as central to their choice. Nearly half call immigration, crime, and gun policy deeply important issues (48% each), while 43% say the same about health care. Abortion and nominations to the US Supreme Court are deeply important to around 4 in 10 voters (42% and 39% respectively). At the lower end, only 33% consider foreign policy that important, 27% for climate change, 26% for the war between Israel and Hamas, and 24% for student loans.
There are still sharp differences between the parties in which issues are most critical for choosing a president. Among voters aligned with the Democratic party, protecting democracy (67%), abortion (54%), the economy (52%), gun policy (51%), and health care (49%) all rank as key issues for about half or more. On the other hand, for voters aligned with the Republican party, the priorities are the economy (79%), immigration (71%), crime (65%), and then democracy (54%).
Impressions of Candidates
Beyond the issues, both Biden and Trump have mostly negative impressions among voters (58% unfavorable view of Biden, 55% unfavorable of Trump). A narrow majority of 53% say they are dissatisfied with having to choose between the two candidates this year.
17% of registered voters have an unfavorable view of both Biden and Trump. Among this group, when forced to choose between them, they favor Trump 43% to 31%, with 25% saying they would vote for someone else or skip the contest.
When including independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein in the matchup, Trump gets 42%, Biden 33%, Kennedy 16%, West 4% and Stein 3%. Kennedy draws 13% each from Biden and Trump supporters.
The poll shows Biden faring worse among voters under 35, trailing Trump 51% to 40% with this group. However, excluding those who didn’t vote in 2020, the 18-34 age group is closer at 46% Biden to 47% Trump.
52% of voters say there’s no chance they would support Biden, while 47% rule out backing Trump – similar to previous polls. Only small shares (5% for Biden, 3% for Trump) say they don’t currently support that candidate but would consider them.
The poll finds Biden and Trump supporters largely don’t understand each other – 66% of non-Biden supporters say they don’t get why anyone would back him, and 63% of non-Trump supporters feel the same about his backers.
The CNN poll surveyed 1,212 adults across the nation, including 967 registered voters, between April 18-23. The surveys were done either online or by telephone with live interviewers. For the full sample of 1,212 adults, the margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. For just the 967 registered voters, the margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
Other national polls indicate a tight race between Biden and Trump for the 2024 presidential election. According to The Hill/Decision Desk’s national polling average, Trump holds a slight lead over Biden, with 45.3 percent support compared to Biden’s 44.7 percent.
