Donald Trump stakes 4-point lead over Joe Biden in 2024 presidential race polls
Former US President Donald Trump has taken a lead over President Joe Biden in the national polls for the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
According to a Wall Street Journal survey released on Saturday, Trump is ahead by four percentage points, standing at 47% against Biden’s 43%. This marks the first instance in this survey where Trump has been favoured in a direct comparison for the likely 2024 presidential race.
The survey also highlighted Biden’s approval rating hitting its lowest point during his presidency, aligning with other studies that have raised alarms within Democratic circles as the election approaches in less than a year. When considering five potential third-party and independent candidates, who collectively draw 17% support, Trump’s lead increases to six points, with a 37-31 advantage.
Despite Biden’s expressed intentions to seek a second term, there is a growing sentiment within the Democratic party for him to step aside. Concerns are primarily due to his age; Biden would be 81 on election day and 86 by the end of a second term. The recent indictment of his son, Hunter Biden, on nine criminal tax charges in California further complicates his path to re-election.
On the other hand, Trump, who leads the race for the Republican nomination by a significant margin, faces his own set of challenges. His legal troubles, including four ongoing criminal cases, some related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, pose a threat to his candidacy. Trump will be 78 years old on election day.
At a California fundraiser on Friday night, Biden vehemently criticized Trump for his conduct on January 6, 2021, when Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of the election results. Biden described Trump’s behavior as “despicable,” referencing Trump’s inaction during the riot and his recent interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, where Trump entertained the idea of being a dictator for a day.
Biden said, “The other day he said he would be a dictator only one day. God, only one day! He embraces political violence instead of rejecting it.”
Biden’s speech focused on the danger he believes Trump poses to democracy. He avoided discussing the Israel-Gaza conflict, instead emphasizing the role of Democratic supporters in making Trump a “former president” or, as Biden prefers to say, a “defeated president.”
“You’re the reason that Donald Trump is a former president, or, he hates when I say it, a defeated president. My guess is that he won’t show up at my next inauguration.”
The Wall Street Journal’s survey results may cause concern among Democrats, some advise against overinterpreting the data.