Rasmussen Reports, which typically produces President Trump’s preferred surveys, reported Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has a substantial lead over the president.
The national poll, released on Wednesday, found Trump’s debate performance coupled with his coronavirus diagnosis has worsened his standing in the contest, with only 40% of voters favoring him and 52% of voters favoring Biden. Only 4% of voters say they are undecided.
According to Rasmussen, which has boasted of accurately predicting the results of the 2016 election, Trump is supported by 76% of Republicans while Biden earns the support of 81% of Democrats. Biden holds an 18-point lead among voters who don’t identify as a Republican or a Democrat. “Trump’s daily job approval also has fallen since his nomination of Barrett on September 26 to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” the survey concluded.
The poll, which matches other recent national surveys, presents a grim outlook for Trump with the election less than a month away. Last month, Rasmussen found Biden had over 50% support and that Trump had his lowest approval rating from voters since August.
Senate Republicans are pushing to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett before the general election. Republicans control 53 seats in the Senate and would not have room for more than three defections within the party should a nominee be voted on and all Democrats resist the president’s selection. Vice President Mike Pence has the power to break a tied vote.
Trump’s approval rating slide began days following his nomination of Barrett to the high court. Before Barrett’s nomination, Rasmussen found that Trump garnered a 53% approval rating, the most since Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into the president.
The poll was conducted among 2,500 likely voters from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
