President Biden is leading former President Donald Trump by a razor-thin margin in the 2024 White House race, according to a new Fox News poll released on Wednesday.
The survey shows Biden with 50% of the vote compared to Trump’s 48% in a head-to-head rematch of the 2020 election.
Biden, 81, also holds a slight edge over Trump, 78, in a hypothetical five-way race, leading by 1 point, 43% to 42%. This marks a 3-point shift in Biden’s favor from last month’s poll, where Trump was ahead by 1 point.
The inclusion of third-party candidates has seen a 4-point swing from May, when Trump led by 3 points.
The president’s recent gains in the polls coincide with an increase in positive views of the economy under his administration.
According to the survey, 32% of registered voters believe the economy is in “excellent” or “good” shape, up from last month’s 30%. Despite this, a significant majority of 68% still think the economy is doing “not so good” or “poor.”
Independent voters have shown a notable shift towards Biden, who now leads Trump by 9 points among this group. In May, Trump held a 2-point advantage with independents, highlighting a significant turnaround in Biden’s favor.
Trump’s advantages on key issues like immigration and the economy have seen a decline.
Voters now trust Trump more than Biden on immigration by 9 points, a drop from the 15-point lead he held in May.
Similarly, Trump’s edge on economic issues has decreased from a 13-point lead last month to just 5 points now.
“There is not a lot of movement in this poll since May, but it is enough to make this a welcome poll for Biden,” said Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts Fox News surveys with Republican pollster Daron Shaw. “The vote preference improvement is one thing, but perhaps more importantly, we saw notable erosion of Trump’s advantage on the economy and immigration, while Biden built on his advantages on abortion and health care.”
The poll also indicates that recent legal troubles for both candidates have had minimal impact on voter preferences.
Only 2% of voters said Trump’s conviction in his Manhattan hush money trial influenced their support for Biden, while an equal percentage said Hunter Biden’s conviction in Delaware swayed them towards Trump.
“The underlying demographic tendencies that have defined the race remain in place,” Shaw observed. “ “Biden has improved slightly with women and seniors, which keeps him afloat despite significant reductions from 2020 in support from younger voters and African Americans.”
As both candidates prepare for the November election, the first of two scheduled presidential debates will take place next week.