OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Republicans are more enthusiastic about former President Donald Trump returning to the White House than Democrats are about President Joe Biden serving another four years in office, according to a new survey.
A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 54 percent of Republicans surveyed said that they would be “excited” about a second term of a Trump presidency. Just four in ten Democrats were excited to be voting for Biden, the survey found.
According to the poll, 70% of Democrats said they would feel “angry” or “fearful” if Trump were to win the presidency. If Biden were to defeat Trump for the second time in a row, 56% of Republicans expressed the same sentiment.
Enthusiasm for and opposition to the top two candidates in a closely predicted race will likely spark the Republican and Democratic bases.
With less than seven months until Election Day on November 5, Trump holds an early advantage in public opinion, leading in the majority of national surveys as well as in several polls in a majority of battleground states. Biden narrowly defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election in those states.
For months, national polls have shown that the vast majority of Americans’ number one concern heading into the 2024 elections is the state of the economy or, more specifically, their own personal finances amid 25–30 percent price increases for most consumer goods since Biden became president.
Another new survey shows that hasn’t changed.
The latest Financial Times-Michigan Ross poll released on Sunday found that former President Donald Trump is trusted more on the economy than Biden by 8 points, 43–35 percent.
“In another worrying sign for the White House, the monthly FT-Michigan Ross survey has consistently found voters trust Trump more than Biden when it comes to handling the economy,” according to the poll analysis, noting that Trump has gained 2 points since the previous survey.
Only 28% of voters say Biden has helped the economy, with a 58% disapproval rating compared to just 40% approval.
“The poll results, which come less than six months before November’s presidential election, suggest voters are still blaming Biden for high consumer prices such as those for gasoline and food without giving him credit for a booming economy and strong jobs market,” the polling analysis said.
And though inflation has come down from near-record highs under Biden, the rate remains well above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent, which is one of the main reasons why interest rates have also skyrocketed under Biden.
The poll also found that 49% of voters are concerned about income levels, marking an increase of 4 points since last month. Additionally, 32% of voters expressed concerns about housing costs, which is up by 5 points.
Meanwhile, Trump is beginning to gallop away from Biden in a series of other recent polls, which is becoming a “crisis” for the current commander-in-chief, according to a noted political analyst.
In an appearance on Fox News Thursday evening, Hugh Hewitt compared what is currently happening between Trump and Biden in the polls to a famous horse race.
“The former president is establishing a lead—the sort of lead if you are watching the Kentucky Derby or any of the other, Belmont Stakes—you’d be tearing up tickets if you didn’t have money on the horse named Trump,” Hewitt told anchor Bret Baier.
“He is pulling away,” he declared. “I want to go back to the CNN poll. He is 11 points ahead of Joe Biden on voters 18 to 34. That’s a crisis for him.”
Another survey released earlier this month sparked widespread speculation among political observers that Trump is poised to decisively defeat Biden in November, particularly if the figures hold steady.
“Trump’s lead over President Joe Biden has nearly doubled in the new Rasmussen Reports poll and could go even higher after today’s unexpected jump in unemployment. The latest 2024 election numbers shared with Secrets had Trump at 46%, Biden at 36%, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 9%,” the Washington Examiner reported. The outlet added that Trump led Biden by 6 points in the same survey last month.
