Americans are coming to the realization the presidencies of Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand in a stark contrast and now see Trump as the better way forward, results from a shock CNN poll show Sunday.
Not only does Trump hold a near majority support at 49%, but he leads Biden (43%) by a whopping 6 percentage points in a head-to-head poll released by CNN, of all outlets. Trump's lead expands to 9 percentage points when the full field is considered:
- Trump 42%
- Biden 33%
- Robert F. Kennedy 16%
- Cornel West 4%
- Green Party candidate Jill Stein 3%
Also, Trump dominates Biden by 32 points head to head (65%-30%) among those who consider the economy deeply important to their vote.
Those results are buoyed by a large flip in views of the Trump presidency since Biden took office. Amid liberal media covering the 2020 presidential election challenge and subsequent Jan. 6 protest of Biden's election certification when Trump left office, just 41% in the CNN poll then had considered Trump's presidency a success.
Now, a majority 55% view Trump's presidency as a success.
That stands in a stark contrast to the disenchantment with Biden's presidency, which is the catalyst for the much-improved views of the Trump administration.
Just 39% view Biden's presidency as a success, while a large majority (61%) view it as a failure. Those views on the Biden presidency – which was coming out of COVID-19 lockdowns and economic decline – have changed little since results in polling after Biden's first year (41% success and 57% failure).
But views of the Trump presidency – without him being in office and only having Biden to deliver the contrast – have soared.
In the days after Jan. 6, just 41% viewed the Trump presidency as a success, giving Trump a 14-point jump to today's 55% calling it a success now having experienced Biden's first term through more than three years.
Trump carries large sway among independents, too, as 51% of independent voters view Trump's presidency as successful compared to just 37% for Biden. Trump dominates the Republican Party, too, as 92% consider his presidency successful now, while just 73% of Democrats respond in kind for Biden.
Biden approval has cratered on the economy (34%) and inflation (29%) – historically the two key voting issues in presidential election cycles. It might be more important than ever before, too, as 65% of registered voters call the economy extremely important to their vote this year. That figure was just 40% in 2020 and 46% in 2016 as roughly the same point in the presidential election year.
An overwhelming majority (70%) consider U.S. economic conditions poor.
And Biden, as Democrats have claimed without evidence to be for working-class Americans, has a majority (53%) dissatisfied with their personal finances. That figure jumps to an overwhelming 67% among the lowest-income households and 64% among people of color and 61% among voters younger than 45.
Being out of office with the contrast to Biden exposing his policies, has given Trump a jump on those key voting blocs of lower-income, minority, and younger voters, according to polling in recent months.
Trump leads Biden by 11 points (51%-40%) among voters 35 and younger, and most of that is from voters who were too young to vote in 2020, according to CNN. Younger voters who did vote in 2020 pick Trump by just 1 point (47%-46%) – which is squarely in the margin of error – giving Trump a new wave of support among first-time presidential voters.
What Democrat voters prioritize, according to the poll:
- Protecting democracy (67%)
- Abortion (54%)
- Economy (52%)
- Gun control (51%)
- Healthcare (49%)
What Republican voters care most about:
- Economy (79%)
- Border security (71%)
- Crime (65%)
- Democracy (54%)
SSRS polled 1,212 adults – 967 of which are registered voters – April 18-23 and the results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points among adults and plus or minus 3.8 percentage points among registered voters.