Voters believe Donald Trump would handle the key issues that could decide the 2024 election better than President Joe Biden, according to a new poll.
A Wall Street Journal survey of 1,500 registered voters revealed that Trump not only beats Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential match up by four points (47 percent to 43 percent) and by six points when other third-party White House candidates are included (37 percent to 31 percent), but that the Republican also has double-digit leads over the president when people were asked who would be better at handling issues such as the economy, crime and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The survey is the latest worrying sign for Biden heading into the election year, with concerns about his poor approval and poll ratings long being an issue for the president as he seeks re-election to the White House. According to FiveThirtyEight's national average poll tracker, Biden's approval rating is currently 37.7 percent, among the lowest it has been during his time as president.
Biden could take some solace that the WSJ poll reveals that more people trust him to handle abortion (44 percent) than Trump (33 percent). The issue of abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade has been cited as a key reason for several GOP loses in elections since last June, including the 2022 midterms.
However, the poll also shows that U.S. voters overwhelmingly believe Trump will handle the economy better than Biden (52 percent to 35 percent), as well as inflation (51 percent to 30 percent).
Despite inflation falling from the decades-high levels it was in mid-2022, two-thirds of voters taking part in the WSJ poll described the economy as poor or not good, and two-thirds also believe the economy has gotten worse in the two years since Biden entered office.
"Things were thriving under Trump. This country is a business and it needs to be run by a businessman," Aimee Kozlowski, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, told the Wall Street Journal.
The White House has been contacted for comment via email.
Elsewhere, more voters think that Trump would handle crime in the U.S. better than Biden (47 percent to 30 percent) as well as security at the southern border (54 percent to 24 percent). The Biden administration has frequently been attacked by the GOP for the record levels of illegal migrants crossing on the southern border following the removal of some of Trump's hardline immigration policies.
Voters also believe Trump could manage the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas better than Biden, with the president facing ongoing criticism, including from his own party, for failing to call for a permanent ceasefire to end the violence. Trump has also not called for a permanent ceasefire to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
There are some positive signs for Biden in the poll on top of voters trusting him to handle abortion better than Trump. The poll shows that 26 percent agree that inflation is "moving in the right direction"—up from 20 percent in August—with the WSJ saying Biden's fortunes could be "lifted" by next November if the trend continues.
Undecided voters in the poll were also more likely to lean toward the Democrats in several survey questions. The WSJ suggests this means they could be "persuaded" to back Biden by the time of the 2024 election.
Preston Ehmke, 27, a high-school English teacher in Boise, Idaho, said he will be voting for Trump if no other Republican wins the GOP primary, but understands if others will be put off by the former president, who faces four criminal trials after pleading not guilty to 91 charges.
"We're going to have all next year of watching Trump's court cases and having plenty of time remembering he is kind of a dishonest guy," Ehmke told the WSJ. "Even if people are mad at Biden for whatever reason, I think they will come home. I can't blame them."
Michelle Bannon, 50, an independent voter from Winston, Georgia, said Trump is "not qualified at all" for the presidency, but only considers Biden to be the "lesser of two evils."
"I don't know that Biden can go another four years, but I'll cross my fingers and vote for him," she said.
The WSJ poll was conducted with 1,500 registered voters from November 29 to December 4. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
