As COVID-19 cases continue to increase across the nation, voters are losing trust in Donald Trump’s ability to lead the country.
Democrats have consistently disapproved of Trump and his leadership; however, the surprise this week is Trump is starting to lose Republicans.
A Deeper Dive Into the Numbers
Last week, an ABC News/Ipsos poll gave Trump the lowest approval rating yet, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 67% disapproving of his efforts. Two new polls were released today from NBC News/Wall Street Journal and Quinnipiac University.
The Quinnipiac University poll saw similar results – voters gave Trump a 35% approval rating, his lowest rating since the question was first asked in March. Additionally, two-thirds (67%) say they do not trust the information Trump is providing about the coronavirus. On the other hand, nearly two-thirds (65%) say they trust the information Dr. Anthony Fauci is providing.
Among whites without a college degree, Trump’s approval rating on coronavirus is an average of the ABC News/Ipsos and Quinnipiac polls is just 50%.
The numbers are no better for him among rural voters. In an average of the ABC News/Ipsos and Quinnipiac polls, his approval rating is at 48% among rural voters. His disapproval stands at 50%. He was well into the 60s with both whites without a college degree and rural voters in both polls back in April.
What Does That Mean for the 2020 Election?
It’s still early, and there’s a lot of time between now and Election Day. But the numbers are not strong for Trump, as they were in 2016.
In 2016, Trump had a 80 to 85 point lead with Republicans, but in the recent Quinnipiac poll, he has just a 75-point lead. Biden is doing better among Democrats than Trump is doing among Republicans, with an 86-point lead.
Trump’s ahead by a mere 13 points among whites without a college degree against Biden in the Quinnipiac poll. And among rural voters, Trump’s up 21 points. This may not seem significant, but this is not anywhere near as well as Trump did in 2016.
