Former Vice President Joe Biden is desperately trying to compete with President Donald Trump to take the lead on handling the coronavirus pandemic, but it turns out many people have no idea Biden is speaking on the issue at all.
A new poll from NBC News/Wall Street Journal has middling news for President Trump — only about 40% of respondents say they “trust” what the president is saying about the virus — but it has shocking news for Biden. Only 26% of respondents “trust” Joe Biden’s statements about coronavirus, 29% do not, and around 50% of people had no idea Joe Biden is making statements on the coronavirus at all or had no opinion on the subject.
Biden has struggled to gain attention during the coronavirus pandemic, first trying to hold daily “shadow” coronavirus briefings with Obama-era experts, and then transitioning into cable news appearances, none of which went well. He had a slight increase in interest last week, after earning support from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former President Barack Obama, but the former Veep slipped off the radar yet again over the weekend.
Instead, Biden’s name has appeared in headlines mostly in reference to 1990s-era sexual assault allegations. One of his former staffers, Tara Reade, claims Biden assaulted her while she served as a legislative aide in his office during the Clinton Administration. The New York Times dismissed the claims out of hand, but interest persists and Monday, the Women’s March requested Biden address the claims and apologize if necessary.
Biden has held a national lead over Trump, but that lead is shrinking according to the same study.
“In the race for the White House, the NBC News/WSJ poll shows Biden ahead of Trump by 7 points nationally among registered voters, 49 percent to 42 percent,” NBC reports. “That’s down from Biden’s 9-point advantage last month, 52 percent to 43 percent, although the change is well within the poll’s margin of error.”
Trump’s numbers have stayed largely the same. His approval rating is hovering in the mid-to-high 40s, and about half of the nation approves of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, though they seem to prefer listening to authorities closer to home — mayors and governors — for more localized information.
Respondents are also comforted by experts, NBC News says, among them some of the White House’s top advisors. “By comparison, 69 percent say they trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 66 percent trust their own governors; 60 percent trust Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert; 46 percent trust New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; and 35 percent trust Vice President Mike Pence.”
One spot of bad news for Trump: people are growing sour on the economy. Although most say that they’re supportive of coronavirus lockdowns, designed to slow and, perhaps, stop the spread of the virus, many are now worried about the long-term effects on the economy.
Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Trump was in a good position with regards to the economy — most Americans felt that they were better off in 2020 than they were in 2016, and credited Trump for the boost in confidence. Now, a growing number of Americans are ” much more pessimistic about the economy” than they were just months ago: “45 percent describe the economy as being poor, which is up more than 20 points since March.”
