WASHINGTON DC (VOA) —
American voters are starting to have different views a year before the next presidential election, and the White House knows exactly this.
The latest New York Times/Siena College poll projects former President Donald Trump will outperform President Joe Biden in five of six “swing states.”
“Swing states” are states where the vote share of two political parties – Republicans and Democrats – is only a narrow difference and is considered important in determining the overall results of the presidential election. The organizers of this poll not only looked at issues such as abortion, efforts to preserve democracy, economic issues, national security and immigration, but also how voters rated Biden’s handling of the month-long Israel-Hamas conflict.
Members of the US Jewish community protest Israel’s military operations in Gaza outside the Senate Cannon office building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on October 18, 2023. (Photo: AFP)
On Saturday (4/11) tens of thousands of demonstrators expressed their feelings regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict by gathering at the gates of the White House. They expressed disappointment with Biden’s support for Israel.
Meanwhile, Biden is actually traveling around America to convey how his government has improved their lives. Speaking in the state of Delaware where he lives, last Monday (6/11), Biden touted development worth $16 billion on America’s east coast.
“Twenty-five different projects, all built in the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, that are part of my agenda to invest in America. “I’ve been fighting for this for a long time,” Biden said.
Biden’s method is very different from Trump’s approach. Speaking upon his arrival at the federal courthouse in New York on Monday, Trump claimed the 91 charges in four different jurisdictions were all politically motivated. Trump himself appeared to testify in a civil fraud case, regarding a number of allegations that he had inflated the value of his net worth,
Former President Donald Trump exits the courtroom after testifying at the New York Supreme Court, Monday, November 6, 2023, in New York. (Photo: AP)
“Their poll results are bad. Just look at today’s poll results in the New York Times and CBS. I was ahead in all those polls. But the current situation is very unfair. This is truly interference with the election. This is ridiculous,” Trump said.
The poll’s organizers said America’s sharp divisions on a range of issues were no longer surprising. However, there are some who question the poll.
Americans this week are also voting on candidates for the House of Representatives at the local and state levels, and on several other initiatives.
“I think anyone who has closely observed American politics in recent years will assume that next year’s presidential election will be very fierce. “Several opinion polls have consistently shown that the presidential election will indeed be very fierce,” said Mark Mellman, a Democratic poll expert who also leads the Democratic Majority for Israel group.
“I think the results of this poll are a bit unusual in that they show more support for Trump in some key states than is usually seen in previous polls,” he added.
Mellman, who heads the Democratic Majority for Israel group, said the latest poll shows a very rare voter consensus on the Israel-Hamas conflict, with both candidates saying they strongly support Israel.
Many analysts consider predictions like this useless.
“The people from the Biden campaign team that I talked to (about the existing polls) said, first – it’s too early to project the results of the presidential election. “Second, they think that when it comes to the election regarding the choice between Biden and Trump, they will prefer Biden because people are reluctant to return to the chaotic times of the Trump administration,” said Todd Belt, a political management expert at George Washington University.
However, is Biden worried if Trump beats him? In a statement sent to VOA, the Biden campaign said it was “not concerned about the poll results.” (em/ka)