Special Poll
Former President Trump has widened his lead over President Biden in recent polls following last weekend’s assassination attempt. A CBS News survey released Thursday shows 52 percent of likely voters favor Trump, compared to 47 percent for Biden. This marks an increase for Trump from 50 percent in a July 3 survey, while Biden’s support dropped by 1 percent.
In battleground states, Biden performs better but still trails Trump, with 51 percent of likely voters preferring Trump and 48 percent choosing Biden.
Most respondents indicated that Trump’s handling of the assassination attempt at his Butler, Pa., rally last Saturday did not change their vote. However, 26 percent said they are now more likely to consider voting for Trump, while 7 percent said they are less likely to do so.
Biden’s poor debate performance last month has raised concerns among Democrats about his ability to defeat Trump in the election and serve another term if reelected. There have been persistent calls for him to step aside in favor of Vice President Harris.
The survey also found that if Harris were the nominee, Trump would still lead, 51 percent to 48 percent.
A Morning Consult survey released Thursday also shows Trump expanding his lead post-shooting. In this poll, 46 percent of respondents said they would vote for Trump, while 42 percent support Biden. Additionally, 8 percent would vote for someone else, and 5 percent are undecided.
Among independent voters, 38 percent support Trump, 32 percent back Biden, 18 percent would vote for someone else, and 12 percent are undecided.
The CBS News survey, conducted from July 16-18, involved 2,247 registered voters and has a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points. The Morning Consult survey, conducted from July 15-17, involved 9,414 registered voters and has a margin of error of 1 percentage point.