Trump edges Biden by 2 points in new survey

Former President Trump is narrowly leading President Biden in a national poll released Wednesday, one day after both men clinched their party’s presumptive nominations for November.

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll found Trump polling at 40 percent to Biden’s 38 percent. But Biden’s approval rating and views on the economy ticked up, with 25 percent of those surveyed saying they might change their minds on who to support in November.

The poll found 29 percent of voters ranked inflation and the economy as their top issue, with immigration (24 percent) and threats to democracy (23 percent) next on the list. Ten percent of voters said abortion was their top issue.

Biden’s approval rating inched up from 39 percent in a December survey to 41 percent Wednesday. And the poll found 33 percent of voters said there is economic recovery underway, the highest level under Biden since August 2021.

The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from March 8-11. It had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

The USA Today poll mirrors other surveys that show a close election shaping up between Trump and Biden. A Decision Desk HQ average of national polls shows Trump leading by 1.4 percentage points.

Biden has hit the campaign trail aggressively following his State of the Union address, visiting Pennsylvania, Georgia and New Hampshire. He will travel to Wisconsin on Wednesday and Michigan on Thursday.