Blog Briefing Room

Biden, Trump essentially tied in head-to-head rematch: survey

President Biden and former President Trump are just about tied in a head-to-head rematch, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sunday.

Biden holds a 2-point lead over Trump in the hypothetical rematch, with 48 percent of all respondents saying they prefer the current president, while 46 percent favor his predecessor.

The results are reversed among registered voters, 48 percent of whom support Trump compared to 46 percent for Biden.

Both findings fall well within the poll’s 3.5-point margin of error.

In the same survey, 52 percent of voters said Trump should be charged with a crime in any of the matters in which he’s under federal investigation. A similar majority agrees that he should be charged with a crime for his role in the Jan 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.

Pollsters also explored whether voters are more interested in another candidate representing their party in 2024. Democrats showed more interest in another candidate, with 56 percent preferring someone else to run, and only 35 percent saying they would like to see Biden run for reelection.

As for Republicans, Trump held a slim lead over the option for another candidate, with 47 percent preferring Trump and 46 percent hoping for another GOP nominee.

Additionally, the survey found that only 39 percent of respondents said they approved of Biden’s performance in the Oval Office, while 53 percent disapprove.

After staying relatively steady in the past year, the president’s approval rating has been increasing slightly, according to several polling firms. Polling from NBC NewsPolitico-Morning Consult and Gallup have shown his approval rating rising in the past month from the high 30s to at or near 45 percent. 

The new ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted Sept. 18-21 among 1,006 adults, including 908 registered voters. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.