Trump is apparently 'fixated' on Biden's polling numbers
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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.
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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.
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