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Washington: Donald Trump would win the US presidency in a race against incumbent Joe Biden, a new poll has revealed as the president’s approval rating reached a new low in the wake of his unwavering support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
The poll is the first by The Wall Street Journal to give Trump the lead in a head-to-head contest with Biden.
It put Trump at 47 per cent support and Biden at 43 per cent.
US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.Credit: AP
Biden’s satisfaction rating also plunged to a record low with just 37 per cent of those surveyed saying they were content with his performance.
Over the weekend, Minnesota representative Dean Phillips, who is challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination, warned that Trump would win the election unless his party puts up a fresh face.
“People are quite tired of hearing [from] their president that all is well economically and yet they are struggling immensely,” he said.
His concerns are reflected in the poll, especially among a group classified as “disaffected Democrats”.
Of this cohort, 55 per cent said the Biden administration’s policies had hurt them personally.
Despite unemployment being at its lowest level since 1969, two-thirds of respondents said the economy had worsened over the past two years.
A CBS poll showed that 76 per cent of Americans felt their income was not keeping up with inflation and 62 per cent of respondents said the economy was in a bad state.
Alarmingly for the Democrats, Trump’s lead on Biden grew to six points if a third-party candidate entered the race, according to The Wall Street Journal, which also claims as many as five independents could enter the race and win the support of 17 per cent of voters between them.
Former US president Donald Trump speaks during the New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala on Saturday.Credit: AP
Robert Kennedy jnr, who has already announced he is running as an independent, has 8 per cent support according to the newspaper.
Cornel West has also entered the race as a “People’s Party” candidate and is likely to pull votes away from Biden.
Over the weekend, Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat senator, hinted that he could also seek nomination, albeit light-heartedly at a dinner in Washington.
“I truly believe the American people are ready to pass the torch to a new generation, somebody younger. I’d say maybe someone close to 76 that doesn’t look a day over 70.”
Manchin is one of the names being touted as a potential candidate for the bipartisan “No Labels” group next November.
With polls showing voters to be unenthusiastic over a choice between Biden and Trump, there is growing speculation that the group could put up a centrist ticket with a raft of big names being floated including Larry Hogan, the moderate and popular former governor of Maryland.
A “No Labels” ticket would act as a spoiler and could peel centrist votes away from Biden.
The president is also facing a threat from the party’s left flank because of his unflinching support for Israel in the war against Hamas.
Earlier this month, Muslim voters in pivotal states threatened to withdraw their support for Biden.
The #AbandonBiden campaign, which is demanding his administration support a ceasefire in Gaza has spread to Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Democrat strategists fear the loss of Muslim votes in these states could cost them the election.
The only crumb of comfort for Biden was Mitt Romney, a former Republican candidate, refusing to rule out voting for him.
While Trump’s base remains solid, Romney voiced the concerns of centrist Republicans over what kind of administration he might run.
At a recent town hall, Trump rang alarm bells when he said he would not be a dictator if elected to the White House next year, “except for day one”.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Romney described Trump as “dangerous for the country”.
The Telegraph, London
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