US President Joe Biden has marginally widened his lead over Donald Trump for November’s presidential election, as the Republican candidate prepares to begin the first of his four criminal trials, according to a new poll. Reuters/Ipsos.
As a result, around 41% of registered voters consulted over the five days of the survey, which ended on Monday, said they would vote for Democrat Biden if the election were held at this time, and 37% chose former President Trump. That 4-point lead grew from the 1-point lead Biden had in the March Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points for registered voters and many voters remain undecided seven months before the Nov. 5 election.
The survey showed that 22% of registered voters said they had not chosen a candidate, were inclined towards options from other parties or perhaps did not even vote.
While national polls provide important signals of Americans’ support for political candidates, just a handful of swing states often tip the scales in the U.S. Electoral College, which ultimately decides who wins the presidential election.
Both candidates have significant vulnerabilities ahead of what is expected to be a close election and the first rematch in a U.S. presidential election in nearly 70 years.
Trump is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan courtroom on April 15 for the start of the first of his four pending criminal trials.
The Manhattan trial involves accusations that Trump covered up a payment to an adult film actress before the 2016 election in exchange for the actress’ silence about an alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump.
The former president declared himself innocent of the charges and denies having this meeting. The other trials involve accusations that Trump tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat or that he irregularly kept sensitive documents after leaving the presidency in 2021. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Biden’s vulnerabilities include concerns about his age — he is 81 — and strong criticism from a portion of the Democratic Party for his support for Israel’s war against Hamas militants.
The poll, which polled adults across the country, included many ways to measure support for Biden and Trump, 77, and most pointed to a close election.
Biden had a smaller lead — just 1 percentage point — among all respondents, but his lead among registered voters is significant because those who are already registered to vote are more likely to do so in November. Only two-thirds of eligible voters participated in the 2020 presidential election, in which Biden defeated Trump.
The former president led among respondents without a college degree, while Biden was better among those with a degree.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll included responses from 833 registered voters who were interviewed online across the country. It has a margin of error of about 4% for registered voters.
