Joe Biden Crushes Trump by 15 Points on Handling of Coronavirus in New Poll

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Former Vice President and current presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by a whopping 15 points when Americans are asked whom they prefer to handle the coronavirus crisis.

According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published Wednesday, Trump’s approval rating with regard to the pandemic was steady at 44 percent, but his disapproval leapt six points — from 49 percent to 55 percent — since last month.

Biden wasn’t included in the March poll, but this time, respondents were asked “Who would you rather have handling the coronavirus pandemic?”

The results: 55 percent chose Joe Biden, while just 40 percent said they prefer Trump. The partisan breakdown on that question is a mirror image, with 87 percent of Democrats preferring Biden and 87 percent of Republicans preferring Trump, but independents are decisively with Biden — 55 percent to 39 percent.

Americans also said they prefer Biden on the economy by a seven-point margin, 51 percent to 44 percent.

By media standards, Biden’s campaign has been somewhat below the radar, as the coronavirus pandemic and Trump’s briefings have blotted out the sun during most recent news cycles, but that deficit in visibility appears to be helping Biden.

While the former VP holds virtual town halls, makes TV appearances, does local TV interviews, and rolls out endorsements and attack ads, Trump does things like suggesting a study of injectable disinfectants as treatment for the illness. It appears to be no accident that another poll released this week shows trust in Trump cratering, a poll in which 98 percent of respondents said they would not follow Trump’s suggestion to inject themselves with disinfectant as a Covid-19 treatment.