Donald Trump would be on track to win a historic landslide in November ā€” if so many US voters didnā€™t find him personally repugnant.

Roughly 53 percent of Americans have anĀ unfavorable opinionĀ of the former president. And yet, when asked about Trumpā€™s ability to handle key issues ā€” or the impact of hisĀ policiesĀ ā€”Ā voters routinelyĀ giveĀ the Republican candidate higher marks thanĀ President Biden.

In aĀ YouGov surveyĀ released this month, Trump boasted an advantage over Biden on 10 of the 15 issues polled. On the three issues that votersĀ routinely nameĀ as top priorities ā€” theĀ economy, immigration, and inflation ā€” respondents said that Trump would do a better job by double-digit margins.

Meanwhile, in aĀ recent New York Times/Siena College poll,Ā 40 percent of voters said that Trumpā€™s policies had helped them personally, while just 18 percent said the same of Biden. If Americans could elect a normal human being with Trumpā€™s reputation for being ā€œtoughā€ on immigration and good at economics, they would almost certainly do so.

Biden is fortunate that voters do not have that option. But to erase Trumpā€™sĀ small but stubborn leadĀ in the polls, the president needs to erode his GOP rivalā€™s advantage on the issues.

  • FreddyDunningKruger@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    Trump didnā€™t STOP student loan payments, Trump PAUSED student loan payments. Biden was the President that actually stopped payments by providing real debt relief, while Republicans attempt to block it with all their heart and soul.

    • laurelraven@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      8 months ago

      And sadly, a lot of voters donā€™t understand that, just ā€œI got relief from Trump and got it taken away by Bidenā€ and no amount of explaining will get them to see what really happened

    • mwguy@infosec.pub
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      8 months ago

      Stop vs. Pause is a distinction without substance when 30% of the population is illiterate, and over 50% canā€™t read or write at a 6th grade level or above.

      Like I get it, I get what youā€™re saying and itā€™s technically correct. But to the rube whoā€™s going to be voting (or at least 30% who will), they just know that under Trump their student loans stopped; and then Biden restarted them.

        • mwguy@infosec.pub
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          8 months ago

          Youā€™d be surprised. No Child Left Behind caused a lot of schools to ā€œauto-passā€ failing students to get them off of their rolls. And if you pass high school you can almost always get into a lower-tier public school or a community college. Also, you have to combine that with straight-up Scam colleges that accept anybody.