Biden Surges Past Trump As Just 34% Of Independents Approve Of White House Coronavirus Response

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:59 am

A new poll shows that only a third of independent voters approve of the way Donald Trump has handled the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, which could be the reason why former Vice President Joe Biden’s lead over the president has grown since last month.

According to the new survey conducted by IBD/TIPP, just 34 percent of independents believe Trump is handling the pandemic well, and Biden now leads Trump by six percentage points, 47 percent to 41 percent.

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Some 43% approve of how the commander in chief has been handling the Covid-19 outbreak. This compares to 41% who said they disapprove. But among independents, just 34% support Trump’s coronavirus performance vs. 47% who disapprove.

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Likely Democratic nominee Joe Biden saw his lead on Donald Trump widening in the latest poll, even as the number who said they would vote for him dipped slightly. In total, 47% said they would vote for Biden, while just 41% said they would vote for Trump. A further 5% said they would vote for another candidate, 7% were unsure of who they would vote while just 1% opted not to answer.

Ex-Vice President Joe Biden topped Trump 49% to 46% in the March IBD/TIPP Poll, while Trump had cut the margin to 49%-48% in late January.

The new polling data comes on the same day the former vice president personally called Trump to offer him advice about how to handle the coronavirus crisis.

The rallying effect is fading for Trump

While there was a temporary boost in Trump’s approval rating after he spent about a week pretending to care about the virus, that was largely due to a rallying effect that typically takes place during a crisis, not a sign that voters thought the president was actually doing a good job.

As the American people watch the infection spread and the death toll rapidly rise, they are seeing just how costly Trump’s initial failed response was. The downplaying, the denial, and the finger-pointing cost this country weeks that could have been spent slowing the spread.

But regardless of what today’s polling says, history will not judge Donald Trump kindly on a number of fronts. His mismanagement of this health crisis is perhaps his biggest failure as president as thousands of Americans will have needlessly died as a direct result of his inaction and incompetence.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.