On Wednesday, network polling analyst Harry Enten argued in a CNN piece that Donald Trump might be losing his edge over Joe Biden on the economy, which he called the president’s “ace in the hole.”
Enten noted that Trump’s approval on his handling of the economy averaged 56 percent in January and February polls from ABC News /Washington Post, NBC News /Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and Quinnipiac University, with an average disapproval rating of 38 percent. But in July, Trump’s economic approval rating had plummeted to an average of 49 percent, with a disapproval rating of 47 percent. Biden did two points better than the president on the economy in the average of the ABC News/ Washington Post , Quinnipiac, and Fox News polls.
“That’s best described as ‘too close to call,’ but that itself is quite noteworthy,” Enten wrote.
Nevertheless, the polling analyst noted Trump’s previous steady lead over Biden in past polls. Although it remains his strongest issue — and one that could act as a buffer to his lack of approval on coronavirus -related topics — the analyst argued that the real estate mogul is not leading significantly on any matters, which he said could pose a problem in November and “almost certainly prove fatal for his campaign.”
As reported by Morning Consult last week, a new survey showed that the real estate mogul’s lead over Biden on the economy has “evaporated,” with the pair in a statistical tie. The pollster noted that the matter of the economy could be more important than usual amid the unpredictable COVID-19 landscape.
“Economic concerns, always top of mind for voters in federal elections, are weighing even heavier on Americans amid the financial pain wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. In July, a third of voters said the economy was their top issue, up 8 points since polling conducted in February before COVID-19 brought the country to a standstill.”
According to former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon , Biden is lifting his approach to the economy from Trump’s 2016 campaign, which pushed a populist agenda that would revive American manufacturing.
As reported by The Hill , Biden recently outlined a proposal to battle racial inequality, which includes a plan to bolster minority-owned businesses that are struggling amid the pandemic. He also committed to driving the Federal Reserve’s focus on economic racial gaps, pointing to the high unemployment rates among communities of color. Biden also took aim at Trump, who he accused of failing to take control of the pandemic.