New CNN Poll Shows Widening Gap in Presidential Contest

 

New CNN Poll Shows Widening Gap in 

Presidential Contest

By Adeline Von Drehle

Published On: 04/02/2024Last updated 04/30/2024, 09:09 AM EDT

Former President Donald Trump continues to hold an edge over President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential campaign as opinions about the first term of each man’s presidency change, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Support for Trump among registered voters is at 49%, compared to 43% for Biden. This is a significantly larger lead than the gap in the RCP Average, in which Trump leads Biden 46% to 45%.

The CNN poll asked American voters whether they view the presidency of each candidate as a success, and the answers suggest that the passage of time makes Americans kinder and gentler in their assessments. Today, 55% of Americans view Trump’s presidency as a success, while 44% see it as a failure. Yet a January 2021 poll taken just before Trump left office and days after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, 55% considered his presidency as a failure.

Americans were less pleased with the Biden years. Assessing his time in office so far, 61% say his presidency has been a failure, while 39% say it’s been a success. This is slightly worse than the 57% who called the first year of his administration a failure in January 2022, with 41% calling it successful.

Various foreign and domestic issues have plagued Biden’s time in office, and likely contribute to the strengthening in negative views of his leadership as well as to the dip in negative views of his predecessor’s time in office. The Biden presidency includes the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, rising inflation,, a border crisis, and the conflict in Gaza.

Negative views of Biden’s work in office have held for much of his presidency. In the new poll, 60% disapprove of his handling of the job and 40% approve, which is similar to what polling has shown for a year. His worst issue approval rating – for his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas – has Biden with a 28% approval and 71% disapproval, including an 81% disapproval rating among those 35 years old and younger.

Gaza has posed a massive problem for Biden, especially among young people. Student protests have cropped up across the country and many have cast protest votes in state primaries. As the crisis is unlikely to abate anytime soon, the Biden campaign has work do on this issue, among others.