President Trump is gaining ground nationally as Joe Biden’s (D) lead shrinks the week of the Democratic National Convention, Rasmussen Reports’ weekly White House Watch survey released Wednesday revealed.
The survey asked 2,500 likely voters, “If the presidential race in 2020 was between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, who would you vote for?”
The survey found 48 percent choosing Biden, and 44 percent backing the president. That represents a two-point shift in the president’s direction from last week’s survey, which had Biden up by six percentage points — 49 percent to Trump’s 43 percent.
According to this week’s results, Trump also leads Biden among unaffiliated voters by five percentage points, 44 percent to 39 percent.
The poll, taken between August 12-13 and 16-18, has a margin of error of +/- 2 percent.
Trump has gained ground in recent days as Biden’s lead continues to shrink. Like the Rasmussen Reports survey, a recent CNN poll showed Biden up by just four percent nationally and “by even less across 15 battleground states that will determine who wins the electoral college,” as Breitbart News reported:
The top line national number of a four-point race represents a double-digit shift in Trump’s direction from CNN’s last national poll in early June. That survey, two months ago, had Biden up 14 points — meaning this latest survey represents a ten-point swing Trump’s way as the summer has progressed heading into the conventions.
In an article explaining the significant movement in Trump’s direction against Biden, CNN’s polling director Jennifer Agiesta wrote that the president has shored up several demographics that he was slipping in before.
“The movement in the poll among voters nationwide since June is concentrated among men (they split about evenly in June, but now 56% back Trump, 40% Biden), those between the ages of 35 and 64 (they tilt toward Trump now, but were Biden-leaning in June) and independents (in June, Biden held a 52% to 41% lead, but now it’s a near even 46% Biden to 45% Trump divide),” Agiesta wrote. “Trump has also solidified his partisans since June. While 8% of Republicans or Republican-leaning independents in June said they would back Biden, that figure now stands at just 4%. And the President has boosted his backing among conservatives from 76% to 85%.”
Wednesday’s RealClearPolitics average had Biden up by 7.6 percent nationally.