TOPLINE
Only around a third of Americans approve of the way President Donald Trump has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, according to two polls released Wednesday, a new low as daily cases in the U.S. continue to increase.
KEY FACTS
Some 58% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,115 people taken Monday and Tuesday.
The 37% approval figure is his lowest rating since Reuters/Ipsos started collecting Americans’ opinion about his performance in early March.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Wednesday found similar attitudes, with nearly three fifths of respondents reporting they disapprove of how the president has approached the pandemic.
The NYT/Siena poll also found that Trump is trailing behind Joe Biden in the presidential race by 14 points.
The poll shows Biden has wide leads with Black and Hispanic voters, and looks to be gaining wider support with women and young adults than 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had.
But Biden also appeared to have drawn even with Trump when it comes to male voters, White voters and middle-aged and older voters, the groups that Republicans rely on during election season, according to the 1,337 registered voters polled from June 17 to June 22.
KEY BACKGROUND
Trump’s actions and comments on Covid-19 have stoked controversy. After downplaying the threat of the disease initially, he has encouraged states to reopen early, refused to wear a face mask during public appearances, held an in-person campaign rally over the weekend in Tulsa after cases there spiked, and said he had asked “his people” to slow testing to keep the official case count low. Trump faced dissent even from members of his own party as reports emerged this month that high-profile Republicans like former President George W. Bush, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and former Secretary of State Colin Powell will not support his reelection. This week, states like Arizona and Texas, which Trump praised back in April for their speedy reopening, have counted record surges in new cases.
FURTHER READING
Biden Takes Dominant Lead as Voters Reject Trump on Virus and Race (New York Times)
