Trump is apparently 'fixated' on Biden's polling numbers
President Trump's polling obsession doesn't appear to have diminished since 2016.
Trump is "fixated" on former Vice President Joe Biden as a potential 2020 threat, and over the past few weeks has "peppered aides on more than one occasion" about his poll numbers, Politico reported on Friday. It was previously reported that Trump sees Biden as the "most formidable" 2020 opponent, although publicly, Trump has shown no signs of nervousness, saying in October that a fight between the two "would not last long," per The Hill.
Biden has topped early Democratic primary polls, but Politico reports that Trump's advisers have assured him he has nothing to worry about and that the former vice president is essentially the Jeb Bush of 2020. Bush also led in some early 2016 Republican primary polls, earning 21 percent support in a March 2015 ABC News/Washington Post poll, which was conducted before Trump entered the race.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump's advisers have also apparently made the argument that there's a good chance Biden won't make it through the Democratic primary, and even if he does, he'll be "pulled to the left" and wouldn't be tough to defeat in the general election. Biden is still mulling over a possible 2020 bid but has not yet announced his decision.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Singin’ in the Rain: fun Christmas show is ‘pure bottled sunshine’The Week Recommends Raz Shaw’s take on the classic musical is ‘gloriously cheering’
-
Holbein: ‘a superb and groundbreaking biography’The Week Recommends Elizabeth Goldring’s ‘definitive account’ brings the German artist ‘vividly to life’
-
The Sound of Music: a ‘richly entertaining’ festive treatThe Sound of Music: a ‘richly entertaining’ festive treat Nikolai Foster’s captivating and beautifully designed revival ‘ripples with feeling’
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
-
Moscow cheers Trump’s new ‘America First’ strategyspeed read The president’s national security strategy seeks ‘strategic stability’ with Russia
-
Trump’s poll collapse: can he stop the slide?Talking Point President who promised to ease cost-of-living has found that US economic woes can’t be solved ‘via executive fiat’
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
