HAMDEN, Conn. — A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows most Americans view former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run as a bad thing.
The poll was released on Tuesday, one week since Trump’s prime-time announcement, and showed that Americans view his presidential run as a bad thing by a margin of 57-34.
That view was much higher among Democrats, with an 88-8% margin. Among independents, 58% said Trump’s run was a bad thing, versus 32% who viewed it positively. But among Republicans, a margin of 62-27% said Trump’s presidential run was a good thing.
The poll showed 55% of those polled believed Trump had a mostly negative impact on the Republican Party, while 37% thought he had a mainly positive impact. Among Republicans, 70% said his impact was positive, while 24% said it was negative.
Americans were split on whether Trump was likely to win another presidential election, with 18% saying "very likely" and 31% saying "somewhat likely" – a total of 49%. Meanwhile, 48% said they don’t believe Trump will win another term.
"An underwhelming welcome back to the political battlefield for Donald Trump comes with a mixed message – nearly 60% of Americans say they do not want to see him back in the Oval Office, but nearly half of Americans think it's likely," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.
When asked about Republican Gov. of Florida Ron DeSantis, 44% of Americans said they did not want to see him run for president, as opposed to 37% who did want him to run and 19% who did not have an opinion. Among Republicans, 60% said they did want to see DeSantis run, 26% said they did not, and 14% did not have an opinion.
When it comes to Trump versus DeSantis, 43% said they would prefer DeSantis to win the 2024 GOP nomination, while 29% prefer Trump and 13% said they prefer someone else. Fifteen percent did not have an opinion.
Among Republicans, the two potential candidates are split, with 44% choosing Trump and 44% choosing DeSantis. Eleven percent did not have an opinion.
"Too early to even suggest it's a preview of 2024, but some 700 days out, Trump, who has thrown his hat into the ring, and DeSantis, who is holding his cards close to his chest, are in a dead heat among Republicans," said Malloy.
Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of Americans do not want to see President Joe Biden run for reelection in 2024 (68%). Twenty-five percent of respondents do. Among Democrats, 51% do want to see Biden run for a second term, while 36% do not. Thirteen percent did not offer an opinion.
As far as favorability, respondents were asked whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of:
- Biden: 38% favorable, 52% unfavorable, 7% haven't heard enough about him;
- Trump: 37% favorable, 54% unfavorable, 5% haven't heard enough about him;
- DeSantis: 33% favorable, 29% unfavorable, 36% haven't heard enough about him;
- Kamala Harris: 28% favorable, 48% unfavorable, 22% haven't heard enough about her.
Participants in the poll also said inflation (35%) was the most urgent issue facing the country today, with no other issue reaching double digits.
Among Republicans, inflation (54%) ranked first, followed by immigration (15%) with no other issue reaching double digits.
Among Democrats, the top issues were climate change (16%), gun violence (16%), inflation (15%), abortion (12%) and racial inequality (10%).
Among independents, inflation (38%) ranked first with no other issue reaching double digits.