In the presidential contest, Joe Biden (52%) leads President Donald Trump (44%) by 8 percentage points among registered voters nationally including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate. With partisan allegiances holding strong, support among independents divides. Biden receives 47% to 44% for Trump. At the beginning of June, Biden (50%) had a 7-point edge over Trump (43%) among registered voters.
Biden leads Trump by 29 points among white women with a college education and by 12 points among college educated white men. Trump leads Biden by 15 points among white women without a college degree and by 41 points among white men who did not get a college education.
“President Trump’s re-election depends upon a shift either in the policies and tone of his administration or in his finding a way to entice Biden into hand-to-hand combat,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “If Trump’s strong disapproval rating stays put, and Biden remains below the radar, Trump’s prospects are dim.”
Biden’s lead comes as Trump’s disapproval rating reaches a new high. 58% of Americans disapprove of how the president is doing his job, up from 55% in early June, and is the highest of his term in office. 40% of Americans approve of how the president is doing his job comparable to the 41% score he received earlier this month.
The proportion of Americans who say they strongly disapprove of Trump’s job performance (49%) is also at its height. In early June, 47% of Americans strongly disapproved of the president’s job performance. At that time, this was his highest disapproval score. 26% of Americans say they strongly approve of the president’s job performance, comparable to 28% previously.
Not surprisingly, Democrats (96%) overwhelmingly disapprove of how the president is performing in office while most Republicans approve (90%). Nearly six in ten independents (59%) give the president a thumbs down on the job he is doing, and 37% approve.
Complete June 26, 2020 NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll Release of the United States