(NewsNation) — Americans aren’t too thrilled about the possibility of a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, according to a new NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll.
The poll brings bad news for Biden and offers a glimpse into how voters feel about a potential 2020 rematch.
About 59% of Americans say they would not be enthusiastic about a Biden-Trump rematch, and 43% of respondents think Trump would win that showdown compared to 33% who expect Biden to win.
“The best stat [Biden’s] got on his side is that it’s January — he’s got 10 months to sustain a trend and reverse the sentiment,” said Scott Tranter, director of data science at Decision Desk HQ.
Independents will be crucial in determining the eventual outcome, and the poll suggests those voters are especially pessimistic about the current front-runners — roughly 75% were not enthusiastic about a possible rematch.
That’s promising news for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is trying to close a double-digit gap on Trump in New Hampshire, but Biden’s approval rating isn’t doing Haley’s electability argument any favors.
“Momentum is very important in politics, and right now, Trump has a firm grip on it,” said Bob Cusack, editor-in-chief for The Hill.
The poll, which surveyed 1,000 registered voters, found 57% disapproved of Biden’s handling of the presidency.
That number is virtually unchanged from NewsNation’s poll last November.
When asked about the state of the country, two-thirds of the registered voters polled said they believed the U.S. was on the wrong track, including 72% of independents and 89% of Republicans.
But the survey also suggests a conviction in one of Trump’s criminal cases could sway opinion, particularly among independents. Nearly two-thirds of independent respondents said they would “strongly” (44%) or “somewhat” (19%) support states disqualifying Trump from the ballot if he is convicted.
“In a conviction scenario, independents immediately change their view of Donald Trump, some Republicans change their view and almost no Democrats do because most of them don’t like him anyway,” Tranter said.
If a conviction were to happen, Trump will have his say, and it’s not clear how opinion could change once he weighs in, Tranter pointed out.
As far as the top issues in the 2024 race, the economy and inflation remain at the front of voters’ minds. Almost half of the respondents said their finances were worse off compared to a year ago.
Beyond the presidential race, 78% of voters said they lacked confidence in Congress’ ability to work together in a bipartisan way.
When asked about the top priority for their preferred candidate, over half of those surveyed said they wanted someone willing to compromise to pass legislation.
