Biden holds narrow lead over Trump in hypothetical 2024 rematch: poll

President Biden leads former President Trump by just 1 point in a hypothetical 2024 presidential election rematch, according to an Emerson College poll released Friday. 

The results showed Biden with 43 percent of the vote to Trump’s 42 percent, with 8 percent planning to vote for someone else and 6 percent undecided. Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in the announcement of the results that this is the first Emerson poll this year in which Biden leads Trump in such a match-up. 

Compared to Emerson’s poll on the head-to-head last month, Biden improved by 2 points and Trump fell two. 

The poll found voters are closely divided over whether the FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property earlier this month for presidential records, including some classified and sensitive documents, made them more or less likely to support him. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they were less likely to support him, 30 percent said they were more likely and 34 percent said the search has no effect on their opinion. 

Biden’s approval rating in the poll rose 2 points to 42 percent, while his disapproval rating dropped 2 points to 51 percent. Republicans kept the one-point lead in the generic congressional ballot that they had in last month’s poll, leading 45 percent to 44 percent. 

The poll also showed a split on Biden’s decision to forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 per year, with 36 percent saying it goes too far, 35 percent saying it is the right amount of action and 28 percent saying it does not go far enough. 

Progressives had urged Biden to cancel as much as $50,000 per borrower, while Republicans have slammed him for canceling any debt. 

Half of all respondents listed the economy as their most important issue, while abortion and health care each tied for second with 9 percent listing them as most important. 

The poll was conducted from Aug. 23 to 24 among 1,000 registered voters. The margin of error was 3 points.