Fox News poll: Biden’s lead widens to 12 points over Trump

Former Vice President Joe Biden has opened up a 12 point lead over President Trump in the latest Fox News national poll, as a majority of voters say they disapprove of the president’s handling of the protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd.

The survey finds Biden at 50 percent and Trump at 38 percent. Biden led Trump 48 to 40 in the Fox News poll in mid-May. The former vice president has surpassed the 50 percent support mark in the RealClearPolitics average, where he leads Trump nearly 9 points overall.

Trump appears to be dragged down in the Fox News poll by his response to the civil unrest over police treatment of African Americans. 

Fifty-six percent of voters said they disapprove of Trump’s response to the demonstrations, while 60 percent have positive views of the protests. 

Race has become a major issue in the minds of voters. Eighty-one percent said they’re concerned about racism and about two-thirds of voters said they view racism as a major threat to the stability of the county. About the same number of voters — 67 percent — said coronavirus and unemployment are major threats to the nation’s stability.

Sixty-one percent of voters said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of race relations. Fifty-three percent said they believe Biden respects minorities, compared to only 35 percent who said the same of Trump. 

Seventy-nine percent of black voters said Biden respects minorities, while only 8 percent of black voters said the same of Trump.

Trump’s overall job approval rating in the survey is at 44 positive and 55 negative, down from his best ever showing in April, when he posted a 49-49 split.

Biden is the more popular candidate, with 53 percent having a favorable view of him, compared to 43 percent who view Trump favorably.

The presumptive Democratic nominee has opened up a 2-1 lead among independents, with 39 percent supporting Biden and 17 percent supporting Trump, although 43 percent remain undecided or are supporting someone else.

Biden has a 79-point advantage among black voters, a 37-point advantage among young people, a 22-point lead in the suburbs, and a 19-point lead among women. He also leads among voters over the age of 65 by 10 points.

Trump, meanwhile, leads by 41 points among evangelicals, although he carried Christians by 64 points in 2016. He leads by 9 points among rural voters, a demographic he won by 27 points in the last election.

The Fox News survey of 1,343 voters was conducted between June 13 and June 16 and has a 2.5 percentage point margin of error.