A new poll shows Donald Trump tops his opponents while Joe Biden hits a new low in approval ahead of Iowa caucus
As the 2024 primary season kicks off, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll shows that former President Donald Trump is leading his Republican opponents by a wide margin in terms of popularity. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's job approval rating has plummeted to the lowest level for any president in the past 15 years.
According to the national poll, Trump is particularly favored among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents on various important metrics.
Trump is seen as having the best chance of winning in November, being a strong leader, and being the most qualified candidate for the Republican Party. Trump also leads his Republican opponents, albeit by a slightly smaller margin, on attributes such as empathy and shared values. And an overwhelming 70% of Republicans and GOP leaners have a favorable opinion of Trump overall.
The poll indicates that 72% of Republican-aligned adults would be satisfied with Trump as the nominee, which is comparable to the satisfaction level in May.
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, also scores well with 61% satisfaction. However, other candidates such as Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Asa Hutchinson received lower satisfaction ratings.
Among political moderates within the Republican party, Trump's satisfaction rating is lower compared to conservatives. These moderates are 21 points less likely to express satisfaction with Trump, with similar gaps observed for DeSantis and Ramaswamy. However, the gaps disappear when it comes to Haley and Hutchinson.
On the Democratic side, the survey reveals that considerably fewer Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents would be satisfied with Biden as their party's nominee. This is a reflection of Biden's weak ratings overall, particularly in areas such as the economy and immigration.
In terms of favorability, DeSantis and Haley trail behind Trump. While 71% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have a favorable view of Trump, 60% see DeSantis favorably, and 46% feel the same way about Haley. It's worth noting that a significant portion of respondents still don't offer an opinion of Haley despite her months of campaigning.
The survey also highlights some notable differences among groups. Republicans and GOP-leaners with a four-year college degree are less likely to believe that Trump excels in the attributes tested. Similarly, there is a slight difference among white evangelical Protestants, a core Republican group, when it comes to perceiving Trump as the candidate who best represents their values.
Turning to Biden, the poll reveals that his approval rating is just 33%, the lowest for any president in the past 15 years. A mere 31% of women and 28% of independents approve of Biden's work in office.
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Notably, there is a significant difference in approval ratings among Black Americans based on age, with older Black individuals showing higher approval compared to younger ones.
While Trump's retrospective job rating is better than Biden's, it is still not positive. Looking back, 41% approve of how Trump handled his presidency, representing a 7-point drop from four months ago. However, Trump faces the question of ballot access, with 56% of Americans believing that the U.S. Supreme Court should either order him off the ballot in all states or let each state make their own decision.