Joe Biden is losing ground to his Republican rival Donald Trump, who leads in a poll published on Saturday by the New York Times, and which shows “alarming signs” for the current North American President among some Democratic voters
The publication of this poll comes eight months before the November elections and four days before “Super Tuesday”, the crucial date on which 15 states hold their Democratic and Republican primaries simultaneously.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump are practically certain to be nominated by their respective parties. If voters had to decide today, 43% would vote for Biden, compared to 48% for Trump, according to the national poll conducted by the New York Times and Siena College.
Although the 81-year-old Democratic President has stated, with numbers to back him up, that the economy is doing well, “only one in four voters thinks the country is going in the right direction”, with “a majority of voters ( who) thinks the economy is doing badly”, according to the newspaper.
The poll reveals “a series of alarming signals for the President regarding the weaknesses of the Democratic field, particularly among women, black and Latino voters”, as well as among some working-class voters, highlights the New York Times.
Despite his numerous legal setbacks, Trump’s dominance over the Republican Party has, on the contrary, resulted in a “more united” field: the former President “won 97% of the votes of those who say they voted for him four years ago, and virtually none of those his former supporters said he would vote for Biden.”
In contrast, “Biden wins just 83% of his 2020 voters, with 10% saying they now support Trump”, adds the newspaper.
In addition to the economy, President Biden’s age, 81 years old, and his firm support for Israel, in the war in Gaza, also explain the discomfort among a part of the Democratic electorate.
In November, the New York Times published a poll, a year before the presidential elections, which showed Trump ahead of Biden in five of the six key states, with the Democrat losing ground among young people and minorities.