He may have lost an $83.3 million defamation lawsuit recently, but former President Donald Trump is still soaring high in election polls.
The latest poll released by the Morning Consult shows that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president in 2024, has maintained his lead over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup for November’s general election.
The national poll shows that Trump currently enjoys 44% support from likely voters, with Biden holding steady at 42%. That’s a slight dip of one percentage point from his lead the last time the poll was taken.
🇺🇲 NATIONAL POLL: Morning Consult
Trump: 44% [-1]
Biden: 42% [+2]Independents
Trump: 42% [+4]
Biden: 30% [+2]
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R. Primary
Trump: 81% [=]
Haley: 18% [=][Change vs January 21]
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6,487 RV (Pres) | 4,044 R's | 1/26-28https://t.co/RI5a7YGIdy pic.twitter.com/xIYt9lMkcW— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) January 29, 2024
At the same time, Trump’s lead over Biden among independent voters has grown. The poll shows that Trump has the support of 42% of independent voters, compared to 30% for Biden. That’s an increase of four points for Trump and two points for Biden from the last poll, which was taken on Jan. 21.
Those stats are perhaps the most telling, as many election pundits have predicted that this year’s election is likely to come down to voters in just a few swing states. If Biden isn’t able to significantly narrow the gap with independent voters — and those who aren’t dead-set on siding with one political party — that could spell trouble for his reelection bid.
Technically speaking, Trump hasn’t earned the Republican nomination just yet. Despite pummeling the competition in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, the former president still has to deal with Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the UN, who has refused to halt her campaign.
Because of Trump’s performance in those two early-voting states, plus the fact that he’s way ahead in GOP primary polls, one member of the Republican National Committee floated the idea of throwing all resources behind him and turning the group’s attention to the general election.
That proposal, though, was withdrawn after Trump himself asked the RNC not to take that action.
It’s a foregone conclusion at this point that Trump will become the GOP nominee. The Morning Consult poll shows he has a commanding 81% to 18% lead over Haley nationally.
