President Biden is heading into the first presidential debate on Thursday, trailing former President Trump by 1.2 percent, according to an aggregation of polls from Decision Desk HQ/ The Hill.
The aggregation of 755 polls shows Trump polling at 45 percent and Biden polling at 43.8 percent as of Wednesday night. The two will go head-to-head in Atlanta in the debate hosted by CNN.
Polls over the last week included in the average largely show Trump ahead of the incumbent president. A Morning Consult poll conducted this week showed the two tied at 44 percent and a YouGov/ CBS News poll conducted June 17- 21 showed Trump leading by 1 point, 50 to Biden’s 49.
Additionally, an ActiVote poll showed Trump leading by 3 points, a Rasmussen Reports poll showed Trump leading by 9 points, a Morning Consult poll showed Trump leading by 1 point.
Earlier this month, a Morning Consult poll showed Biden leading by 1 point, a Beacon Research/ Shaw and Company Research poll showed Biden leading by 2 points, and another Morning Consult poll showed Biden leading by 1 point.
When independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, who did not qualify for the CNN debate, is included in polls, Trump has a 1.8 percent lead, according to an aggregation. The aggregation of 191 polls shows Trump at 41.9 percent, Biden at 40.1 percent and Kennedy at 7.3 percent.
Biden faces a high-stakes moment in the CNN debate while he struggles to make up ground on Trump in the polls and will be challenged to ease concerns among Americans over his age and mental fitness.