Trump leads Biden in crucial US swing states, poll finds

Pressure builds on Joe Biden, with the 2024 presidential election a year away

President Joe Biden, right, trails Donald Trump on issues including the economy, the poll has found. AFP

Nov 05, 2023

Donald Trump is more popular than Joe Biden in five key states, as voters question the US President's handling of the US economy, foreign policy and immigration, a poll released on Sunday has found.

Exactly one year before the 2024 presidential election, polling by The New York Times and Siena College shows Mr Biden trailing Mr Trump, the runaway favourite to become the Republican presidential nominee, by three to 10 points among registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Biden administration under growing pressure over Gaza death toll

The swing states are considered must-wins for any aspiring president.

The poll comes as two-thirds of Americans say the country is moving in the wrong direction. In states, including Michigan, which have large Arab American populations, voters say they will not vote for Mr Biden owing to his handling of the Israel-Gaza war.

Voters preferred Mr Trump by 12 points over Mr Biden on immigration, by 12 points on national security and by 11 points and on the Israeli-Gaza conflict.

Crucially, voters preferred Mr Trump over Mr Biden by a 59 per cent to 37 per cent margin on the economy.

The New York Times reported that younger voters favoured Mr Biden by only a single percentage point, his lead among Hispanic voters is down to single digits and his advantage in urban areas is half of Mr Trump's advantages in rural areas.

Women still prefer Mr Biden, but men are backing Mr Trump by twice as large a margin, the newspaper reported.

Mr Trump's growing popularity comes despite him facing felony charges in four criminal cases and other charges in several civil cases.

Mr Biden's age – he turns 81 on November 20 – continues to be a top concern among voters, even though Mr Trump is 77.

The polls found 71 per cent of respondents said Mr Biden was “too old” to be an effective president, whereas only 19 per cent held that view about Mr Trump.