Biden BEATS Trump by one point, but the president would LOSE to Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley in 2024, new polls show
- Trump loses to Biden for the first time in a Fox News 2024 poll
- But Haley would beat the president by four points in the poll of 1,007 voters
- But it also shows that Trump has a big lead in the Republican nomination race
President Joe Biden would narrowly beat Donald Trump by one point if the 2024 election were held today, according to a poll released Wednesday, but he would lose to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley .
Trump is the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination, making a repeat of the 2020 election the most likely matchup.
But Haley has gained ground in the primaries as some Republicans look for a candidate with less baggage than the former president.
The new national poll for Fox News showed Trump would top 48 percent of the vote in the general election to Biden’s 49 percent.
In contrast, DeSantis would win 49 to 47 percent, while Haley would win 49 to 45 percent.
For the first time, the Fox News poll has President Joe Biden ahead of former President Donald Trump, if only by one point in a survey with a margin of error of +/- three points
The poll of 1,007 registered voters has a three-point margin of error anyway, showing how close a contest would be if it were held now.
“A rematch between Biden and Trump starts at a pressure cooker level and keeps Democrats very united,” said Chris Anderson, a Democrat who conducts Fox News polls with Republican Daron Shaw.
“If Republicans somehow choose someone other than Trump, the pressure is immediately off, and some Democrats could play around supporting the Republican — that won’t happen if Trump is the nominee.”
Other polls have shown that Trump’s history — his denial of the 2020 election results, string of lawsuits and chaotic time in office — could be a key factor in securing a Democratic vote.
And it’s the first time in the Fox News poll that Trump has done worse than his Republican rivals in a matchup against Biden.
One caveat is that the numbers reflect the national share of the vote when presidential elections are decided on a state-by-state basis with an electoral college.
According to the poll, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would both defeat Biden if the election were held today
However, Trump maintains a strong hold on his party base and appears unstoppable for the 2024 Republican nomination.
The pollsters also asked Republican primary voters who they wanted as their candidate next year, and 59 percent said Trump.
DeSantis remains an extremely distant second with 13 percent.
Haley records her best showing yet with ten percent support (up five points from a month earlier), while biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whose appeal had grown after two strong debate performances, falls to seven percent (down four points).
None of the other runners break five percent.
Republicans will hold their first nominating contest in January during the Iowa caucuses. Soon after, New Hampshire will hold a more traditional presidential primary, followed by Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan.
Some Republican donors are pushing for Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to enter the race because they see him as the kind of moderate figure with the best chance of uniting the party against Biden.
