While President Donald Trump finds himself trailing his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, by anywhere from 7.5 to 10 points nationally, a new poll from CNN shows that the president’s reelection campaign is facing a much larger threat: The number of Americans who say the United States is headed in the wrong direction with Trump in the White House.
According to the poll:
“Americans are angry. About 8 in 10 say they are at least somewhat angry about the way things are going in the country today, including an astonishing 51% who say they are very angry. CNN has asked this question in polling periodically since 2008, and the previous high for the share who said they were ‘very angry’ was 35%, reached in 2008 and 2016.”
Be sure and note that 16 percent more Americans now report they’re “very angry” with where the country is headed than said that same thing in 2008 and 2016. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected after George W. Bush had served for two terms. And four years ago Trump won. That doesn’t exactly bode well for an incumbent president, especially when you consider how respondents said they’re feeling about the top issue on voter’s minds: The coronavirus pandemic:
- Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say the US response to the coronavirus outbreak makes them feel embarrassed
- Disapproval of Trump’s handling of the outbreak has also reached a new high at 58 percent
- 55 percent of Americans say the worst of the pandemic is yet to come
- 57 percent of Americans say schools should not open with the virus continuing to spread
Trump’s numbers on the economy are also worrisome for an incumbent president:
- 43 percent now say the economy is continuing to worsen, an increase from 36 percent in June
- Half of Americans report that they have faced financial hardship as a result of pandemic
Those are not the kind of numbers that get a president reelected. And it would explain why Trump continues to attack the idea of voting by mail: An angry electorate and an election with a high turnout would probably be disastrous for Republicans, who are also facing the prospect of losing control of the U.S. Senate.
Things are not going well in the U.S., despite what Trump and his defenders say. The electorate is unhappy and fearful. That could prove politically fatal come November.