If new polls are anything to go by, President Donald Trump is losing the hearts and minds of the average US citizen. Widespread protests and civil unrest have rocked the US throughout the week following the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a Minneapolis resident, was killed after police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground for ten minutes.
According to new survey research from ABC News and the Washington Post, former Vice President Joe Biden is leading incumbent Trump by a surprising margin. This means Biden may be the one paying the Orkin pest control cost at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue come January 2021. Biden, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2020 election, has kept a relatively low profile during the civil unrest of the last week.
Early in 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic rocked the nation, Trump and his senior aides were largely optimistic about their chances at reelection in November. The economy was roaring. The country was relatively peaceful and stable.
Trump even weathered an impeachment in the House of Representatives. Things were looking okay for the Trump Administration until the pandemic upended the economy.
The administration’s numerous stumbles in dealing with the pandemic shook public faith in the president. That is, if polling data is to be believed. As the COVID-19 death toll climbed, the lack of a national plan for testing and tracing continued to vex health experts. States were met with scattered protests calling for the reopening of businesses closed by the lockdowns. Unemployment soared to its highest levels in modern history.
Now, as dozens of cities in the US grapple with ongoing protests, Trump finds himself very far down in the polls. Biden currently leads him, fifty-three percent to forty-three percent, according to the poll released on Sunday. This is striking when compared to a poll taken on March 25. In that poll, Biden only led Trump by two points.
The survey, notably, was collected from May 25 through May 28. This means it might not reflect respondents’ opinions in light of the escalation of the protests.
By the 28th, the protests had not quite gotten to the level that they are currently at. However, George Floyd was still dominating headlines at the time, so it’s likely that his death could have influenced respondents.
However, the survey research is also likely to reflect widespread frustrations over the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 election looms in a short five months. As such, Trump and his strategists are certainly watching the polls with a wary eye.
