Trump Leads Biden by 5% in Poll After Shooting... Gap Widens

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Former U.S. President Donald Trump took a larger lead over President Joe Biden in a presidential election poll conducted after the assassination attempt. Even as Democratic Party leaders are calling for President Biden to withdraw his candidacy, Vice President Kamala Harris, a strong alternative candidate, also lagged behind former President Trump.

According to a poll released on the 18th (local time) by CBS News and YouGov, former President Trump's approval rating was 52%, ahead of President Biden's 47% by 5 percentage points. This expanded his lead from the 3rd, when Trump was ahead by 2 percentage points within the margin of error. The poll was conducted over three days from the 16th to the 18th, surveying 2,247 U.S. voters after the assassination attempt on former President Trump. The margin of error is ±2.7 percentage points.

In a survey of voters in seven key battleground states including Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, former President Trump's approval rating was 51%, ahead of President Biden's 48%.

Following the first presidential debate last month, calls for President Biden to withdraw have been spreading, and it is analyzed that the shooting incident on the 13th shifted voter sentiment more toward former President Trump. Twenty-six percent of voters said the shooting increased their likelihood of voting for former President Trump in the election. However, 67% said the incident did not affect their decision.

Vice President Kamala Harris, considered a Democratic presidential candidate to replace President Biden, also trailed former President Trump in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup. Former President Trump's approval rating was 51%, while Vice President Harris was at 48%. However, the gap between Trump and Harris was only 3 percentage points, leading to assessments that she is more competitive than President Biden, who has a 5 percentage point gap.

This poll also included questions related to the political and social atmosphere in the U.S. following the assassination attempt. Fifty-eight percent responded that the incident brought about unity in the U.S., while 42% said it caused division. Eighty-three percent of voters believed that political violence in the U.S. has increased recently. Sixty-two percent said they expect it to increase further.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.