Impact of the Crisis on Pre-Election Sentiment: Trump and Biden Nearly Tied in New Poll

(Patria) – Reuters news agency conducted an online poll among Americans on their presidential favorite on Monday and Tuesday.

The result showed that Biden's lead over Trump, achieved in the past month, has declined in the past two weeks, likely because Biden has difficulty achieving the visibility during the epidemic in the US that fully belongs to Trump.

Thus, 43% of registered voters stated that they would support Biden in the November elections, while 41% declared for Trump, making the candidates almost equal.

In a similar poll conducted a week earlier, Biden had a 6% lead, while in a poll conducted in mid-April, he led by a full 8%.

The former US Vice President is forced to conduct his election campaign from his home in Delaware, with all the limitations imposed by the coronavirus epidemic in the US.

However, unlike Biden, Trump is constantly and very actively in the spotlight, present and communicating via television and Twitter, which affects the awareness of observers – voters, even if they do not fully agree with his actions.

It is possible that the decline in the popularity of the Democratic candidate Biden was also influenced by new media reports about the accusations of his former assistant Tara Reade that she was allegedly sexually assaulted by him in 1993. Last week, Biden reiterated his earlier claims that such a thing "never happened" and asked the Senate to release documents related to her accusations, if they exist.

In the poll, 53% of Americans stated that they were "somewhat" or "very" aware of the accusations by Biden's former colleague.

At the same time, 45% of Americans believe that Trump has a greater potential to create new jobs, while 32% believe that Biden is a better candidate for that task. In a poll conducted in April, Trump's lead in terms of job creation was half as large.

37% of Americans consider Trump a better candidate in terms of managing the epidemic crisis in the US, while 35% prefer Biden. In April, Biden had a narrow lead.

Overall, 42% of Americans approve of Trump's performance, while 53% disapprove.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,215 adult Americans, including 1,015 registered voters.