A survey by the Pew Research Center finds that a record number of Americans hold negative views of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
According to the poll, released on Friday, 25% of Americans have unfavorable opinions of both Biden and Trump. This figure represents the highest percentage in at least three decades. The poll also shows that 36% of respondents view Trump favorably but not Biden, while 34% hold the opposite view.
The Pew Research Center states that the survey reveals the highest share of “double hater” voters since the 1988 election, almost double the percentage observed in the 2020 election, when Biden and Trump first ran against each other. In 2020, roughly 13% of Americans disliked both Trump and Biden.
“Increasing negative partisanship is a major factor behind the decline in favorability of major party candidates,” the pollster explained in its press release. “Favorability ratings for candidates have become considerably more negative among members of the opposing party than they were a few decades ago.”
The poll was conducted between May 13 and 19, prior to the recent trials of Trump and Hunter Biden. On May 30, a New York jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in an attempt to influence the 2016 election. On June 11, a Delaware jury found Hunter Biden guilty of violating federal gun laws when purchasing a firearm in 2018 while struggling with crack cocaine addiction. Both Trump and Hunter Biden have denied any wrongdoing.
The 2024 presidential election campaign has been marked by intense conflict, with both leading candidates accusing each other of causing significant damage to the country and questioning their opponent’s fitness for office.