62% of registered voters say President Trump is hurting efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, compared to 31% who say he's helping, according to a Quinnipiac University poll out Wednesday.
The big picture: 36% of Americans approve of Trump's overall job performance, and 60% disapprove — his worst net approval rating since August 2017 and a 6-point drop from June. The poll has Joe Biden with a 15% advantage nationally over Trump, widening his lead from last month by 7 points.
Between the lines: On his handling of the economy, Trump's approval rating dropped to 36% in July as states force more businesses to close again due to the nationwide surge in coronavirus cases.
- "Trump's strongest card, the economy, shredded by a killer virus, may have left the president with no go-to issue or trait to stave off defeat," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.
By the numbers:
- 61% disapprove of the way Trump has handled reopening schools.
- 67% say they do not trust the information Trump is providing about the coronavirus.
- 65% say they trust the information provided by Anthony Fauci, whom White House officials have sought to discredit in recent days.
Head-to-head with Biden:
- On handling a crisis: Biden 57% - Trump 38%
- On handling health care: Biden 58% - Trump 35%
- On handling the coronavirus: Biden 59% - Trump 35%
- On handling racial inequality: Biden 62% - Trump 30%
The bottom line: "Yes, there's still 16 weeks until Election Day, but this is a very unpleasant real-time look at what the future could be for President Trump," Malloy said. "There is no upside, no silver lining, no encouraging trend hidden somewhere in this survey for the president."
Methodology: This RDD telephone survey was conducted July 9–13 throughout the nation. Responses are reported for 1,273 self-identified registered voters with a margin of sampling error of ± 2.8 percentage points.
