OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump was given another reason to smile after a new survey released on Tuesday ahead of the GOP primaries put him in an even better position to win.
According to the Emerson College poll, Trump holds a 47-point lead — his biggest yet — over his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Newsmax reported.
The survey found that Trump received 59 percent support, up 9 points from August.
“The Trump voter remains resilient, and despite a dip in August’s post-debate poll, Trump has now expanded his lead and has improved his position from before the first debate,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said, as cited by Newsmax.
DeSantis, meanwhile, received 12 percent support, the only other GOP candidate to poll in double digits.
Newsmax added:
Trump and DeSantis were followed by businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (7%), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (5%), former Vice President Mike Pence (5%), former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (3%) and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., (2%). Five percent were undecided.
Overall, 63% of Republican primary voters say they definitely will support their chosen candidate, while 36% say there’s a chance they could change their mind and vote for someone else.
“Seventy-five percent of Trump voters say they will definitely support him in the Republican primary, up four points since the August survey, while 42 percent say the same of Ron DeSantis — a significant hardening among supporters of DeSantis since August, when 25 percent said the same,” said Matt Taglia, senior director at Emerson College Polling.
Meanwhile, in a potential rematch of the 2020 election, Trump and President Joe Biden remain tied at 45 percent each, according to the survey.
“Republican and independent voters think Biden’s age makes the job of president too difficult, at 79 percent and 54 percent respectively, while only a third of Democrats say the same,” Kimball said. “Of those who think Biden’s age makes the job too difficult, 67 percent plan to vote for Trump in a general election, while 21 percent would vote for Biden, and 12 percent are unsure.”
According to a new YouGov/Yahoo News poll, Biden and Trump are tied at 44 percent among registered voters, with 7 percent undecided and 4 percent not voting. This suggests that support for Biden has dwindled as Trump’s support has gradually increased — in the midst of four criminal indictments, The Hill reported.
The previous poll, conducted last month, found Biden to have a slight lead over Trump, with the current president polling at 47 percent to the former president’s 41 percent. Now, as questions about Biden’s age swirl and House Republicans prepare to launch an impeachment investigation, the president faces even more obstacles as he approaches 2024.
According to the survey results, 77 percent of Americans consider Biden’s age to be a minor or major issue, while 64 percent believe the same of Trump. Americans also believe Biden is less qualified to serve in office than Trump, with only 27 percent believing he can serve another term.
The poll also found that Biden’s approval rating was 38 percent, slightly higher than its all-time low of 35 percent in August 2022. Despite positive economic indicators, only 34 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the situation.
Trump has a load of legal problems to deal with, but he also has a massive amount of support among the American electorate.
In fact, according to one pollster, the amount of support given what he’s dealing with is “truly unprecedented.”
Polling experts who spoke to The Daily Caller last month claimed that Trump’s commanding lead in most surveys is so overwhelming that it must be disheartening for the rest of the GOP contenders.
The outlet noted that the current Republican primary cycle is unlike any other, with a former president leading the race, holding a substantial advantage in the polls, and facing competition from his former vice president.
Additionally, Trump carries the weight of two federal indictments.
