In a recent Reuters poll, Donald Trump appears to lead President Joe Biden by six percentage points.
The national poll of 1,250 adults shows Trump with a 40% to 34% lead over Biden, with the rest unsure of either candidate or plan on voting for someone else. With a margin of error of three percentage points, the poll, administered by Reuters/Ipsos, is believed to show how Americans are unhappy about an election rematch.
An even earlier poll showed Biden and Trump were tied. It must be noted that a national survey cannot capture the nuances of the electoral college that will come down to just a few highly competitive states.
"I hate to think that we're constantly navigating the lesser of two evils," said Kimberly Sofge, a 56-year-old project manager in Washington, D.C., this week. "I honestly feel that we can do better."
Survey respondents were asked to choose between President Biden, Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and Donald J. Trump, respondents selected Trump with 36%, Biden with 30% while Kennedy Jr received 8%. More than half of respondents said the U.S. two-party system was unsatisfactory.
Whitney Tallarico, 33, a consultant interviewed in Washington, is among those considering an alternative.
"The independents don't really have a voice. Polarizing characters usually take the front seat, and it's a little sad for our country," said Whitney Tallarico, a consultant in Washington. When asked whether she would vote for Biden or Trump, she said, "I'll probably go for a third party."
What About Their Age?
The poll shows numerous indicators of voter dissatisfaction. Over three-quarters of poll respondents believe Biden is too old while only half believe Trump is too old. But Donald Trump is only four years younger than Biden.
About half believed Trump was too old. A third of them were Republicans.
Seventy percent believe that Biden should not seek reelection, including half of Democrats who responded. Fifty-six percent believe that Trump should not run for office, including a third of Republicans who responded to the poll.
The same Reuters poll saw Nikki Haley trailing Donald Trump nationwide by a margin of 64% to 19%.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents who said they planned to vote for Biden said they were motivated primarily by opposition to Trump, while Trump voters were more positive about their candidate and his policies, with just 39% describing their vote as one against Biden.
Anti-Trump sentiment helped Biden defeat Trump in the 2020 election when a record-high share of eligible voters cast ballots. 55% of Republicans who responded believe Donald Trump should be convicted and sentenced to prison if he broke the law.
Trump is currently facing four criminal prosecutions and has argued in court that he should be immune to prosecution for actions taken as president. But only one in five Republican respondents believed Trump solicited election fraud, a key charge against him. Four of five believe political opponents are using the legal system to nullify his election bid.
