Americans Blame Trump For Worsening COVID-19 Crisis
The latest Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll not only reveals Joe Biden again ahead of President Donald Trump by 8% as the choice for president among American voters, it also shows a larger number blaming Trump for the government's incompetent COVID-19 response.
The online poll of 1,112 adults conducted May 11 and 12 found 46% of registered voters saying they'd vote for Biden on November 3 compared to 38% that planned to vote for Trump. The 8% jump compares to the only 2% edge Biden enjoyed over Trump in the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Trump's approval rating also took a hit. The poll shows 41% of respondents approve of Trump's performance in office, which is down 4% from a similar poll in mid-April. On the other hand, 56% disapprove of Trump, up by 5% in the same span.
The poll shows more Americans angry at the way Trump is managing the raging health crisis. It shows those that disapprove of Trump's performance as leader of the national pandemic response outnumber those that approve by 13%. Reuters/Ipsos said this is the highest level of net disapproval since the poll started asking the question in a poll conducted in early March.
Trump continues to downplay the threat of the pandemic that's killed over 84,700 persons in the U.S. and infected more than 1.42 million, as of early Thursday morning, Hong Kong time. The U.S. still has the highest death and confirmed case toll in the world.
Biden has consistently beaten Trump in most of the past opinion polls gauging voter sentiment as to who voters want as president.
The previous Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on May 4 and 5 found 43% of registered voters saying they'd vote for Biden while 41% said they'd back Trump. Biden led by 6% in a similar poll in late April and by 8% in a poll that ran April 15 to 21.
Biden's drop in popularity can largely be attributed to a former staffer, Tara Reade, who accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993. It can also be explained by Trump's turning the since discontinued White House coronavirus press briefings held daily into a campaign platform where he brushed aside bad news damaging to his reelection campaign.
The press briefings were discontinued April 24 after Trump made a fool of himself before the world by claiming the day before household disinfectant injected into the human body can kill the COVID-19 virus and should be investigated. Trump also said a bright light or an ultraviolet light source inserted inside the human body can also kill the coronavirus.