US elections: Trump is closing gap with Biden, says new poll
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden are in a tight race for the White House, according to a Washington POST-ABC News poll released on Sunday.
Trump has closed a sevenpoint deficit from February and is in a statistical tie with Biden, 47% to 49%, among registered voters. Among all adults, Trump trails Biden 44% to 50%. But Trump’s voters are far more enthusiastic about turning out.
Biden, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, is more trusted by voters on health care and Trump more trusted on the economy, according to the poll.
When registered voters are asked whom they trust most to confront the coronavirus, there was no statistical difference between the two.
The poll of 1,003 adults, including 845 registered voters, was conducted March 22-25. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points.
DEMOCRATIC RALLIES GO VIRTUAL
Three weeks ago, Joe Biden and Democratic rival Bernie Sanders were hosti ng r al l i e s t hat attracted thousands. The pair often visited two states a day in their fierce and spirited battle for votes. Today, they appear online as lonely candidates hunkered down in their homes, forced off the trail and into campaign reinvention mode as the intensifying coronavirus pandemic upends the Democratic presidential primaries along with every other aspect of American life.
Biden, the 77-year-old frontrunner, and Sanders, t he 78-year-old underdog, have paused all in-person campaigning. Live town halls are no more.
Even the Democratic National Convention set for mid-july, when the party officially nominates their candidate to challenge President Donald Trump in November, is at risk.
While the Democrats are reduced to basement livestreaming, Trump, also deprived of hosting his raucous rallies, is monopolising the spotlight.
The daily, nationally televised White House coronavirus task force briefings often stretch on for more than 90 minutes, with Trump sometimes taking up an entire hour at the podium.
The Republican incumbent’s handling of the crisis has earned mixed reviews, but his job approval rating has ticked up-and he is front and centre every day.