Support for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump is neck and neck among registered voters in a potential re-match, according to a new poll.
The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows that if the 2024 election for president were held today, 49% of registered voters would support Biden while 47% would support Trump.
"Despite a whirlwind of activity around them, Americans' views of Biden and Trump remain locked in," Lee M. Miringoff, Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement. "At this point, a notable number of voters are considering a third-party option, but that does little to change the competitive contest between Biden and Trump."
When third party candidates are factored into the 2024 presidential mix, the poll shows Biden (40%) and Trump (39%) remain competitive among voters nationally; 3% would vote for a Libertarian candidate, and 2% would vote for a Green Party candidate, while 12% of voters would support another independent or third-party candidate.
Trump also remains the most popular GOP primary candidate -- by far. According to the poll, Trump has the highest favorability rating of the GOP field, with 74% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents viewing him favorably.
Most Republicans support another Trump run. The poll shows 43% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they would be very satisfied with Trump as the 2024 GOP nominee, and another 34% say they would be satisfied with Trump on the ticket.
Democrats are also generally satisfied with Biden as the Democratic nominee. Three in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they would be very satisfied if Biden is their party's nominee, while another 46% would be satisfied, according to the poll. Additionally, 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents view him favorably.
The poll points out that Biden is seeking re-election with below average job approval rating: 42% of Americans approve of the job he is doing, and 50% disapprove.
The poll also notes that the 2024 presidential contest is playing out against a backdrop of legal questions facing both Trump and Biden.
Three in four Americans think Trump, who is currently facing a total of 91 felony counts across four separate criminal cases, has done something illegal (49%) or something unethical but not illegal (26%), according to the poll.
Meantime, more than eight in 10 Americans think Hunter Biden's business dealings with China and Ukraine were not above board. The poll shows half (50%) think the president's son did something illegal, and 35% say he did something unethical but not illegal. Fewer Americans think Biden has done something illegal (38%) or unethical but not illegal (25%) in relation to his son's business dealings.
