Former President Donald Trump holds a marginal lead over President Biden in a straight national matchup, according to a new poll.
The Monday poll from Reuters/Ipsos found that Trump leads Biden 38% to 36% in a head-to-head matchup, though a sizable 26% stated that they weren’t sure or supported another candidate. Meanwhile, the poll also found that a third-party candidacy by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could serve as an effective spoiler against Biden.
When RFK’s candidacy was factored into the poll, Trump’s lead over Biden grew to 5%. Trump’s overall support dropped to 36%, but Biden’s fell to 31%, with RFK Jr. taking 16% of the vote.
Reuters conducted the poll from Dec. 5-11, surveying 4,411 U.S. adults across the nation via online questioning.
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The survey also matched up with recent polling on Americans’ distaste for both Biden and Trump more generally, often citing the candidates’ ages. Roughly 60% of respondents to the Reuters poll stated that they were dissatisfied with the binary option and wanted a third choice.
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Biden has consistently fallen behind Trump in national polling in recent weeks. Trump led Biden 47% to 43% in a hypothetical head-to-head match and led 37% to 31% in a hypothetical ballot with five independent candidates, according to the results of a Wall Street Journal poll released Saturday.
The president’s sagging numbers against Trump also come as voters give Biden low approval marks, including only 23% of respondents saying Biden’s policies have helped them personally, compared to 53% who say they have been hurt by the president’s policies.
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Biden’s team, however, has attempted to spin the grim numbers as effectively as possible.
“Predictions more than a year out tend to look a little different a year later,” Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said last month. “Don’t take our word for it: Gallup predicted an eight-point loss for President Obama, only for him to win handily a year later.”
Reuters and Fox News’ Michael Lee and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
