NBC News’ Steve Kornacki sounded the alarm on the outlet’s latest polling, noting some “troubling numbers” for President Biden, as he trails former President Trump in several key categories, such as mental and physical health.
According to the NBC News poll, Trump leads Biden among voters in handling a crisis, being competent and effective, dealing with inflation, having the necessary physical and mental health, and having a strong record as president.
“Competent and effective, that was President Biden’s, the crux of his campaign pitch in 2020,” host of “Meet the Press” Kristen Welker said. Kornacki noted that back in 2020, the numbers were flipped, and voters viewed Biden as being more competent and effective.
The poll found 47% of voters view Trump as competent and effective, compared to just 36% who view the president the same way.
“Who has the strong record as president? And again, Trump outpacing Biden on that front. And again, you’ve got to mention this one, too. Necessary mental and physical health. We asked this four years ago. It was a wash. It’s now a clear liability for Joe Biden. So these are all troubling numbers for Biden,” Kornacki said.
Biden leads Trump in just two categories; his ability to bring the country together and in dealing with abortion. However, Kornacki noted a lot of voters believed neither candidate was better than the other in their ability to bring the country together.
Welker and Kornacki noted the poll’s findings on RFK Jr.’s standing in the election, as many believe Kennedy would spoil the election for Biden and lead to a Trump victory.
However, the poll found with RFK Jr.’s name on the ballot, the hypothetical match-up would fall to Biden.
“We show a 46-44 race for Donald Trump,” Kornacki said, noting the results of the head-to-head match-up with just Biden and Trump. “But, look what happens when we add RFK’s name to the mix. Suddenly, we have a new leader. Joe Biden, 39%, Donald Trump 37%, there’s Kennedy getting 13%. We see by a better than two to one margin, it’s Trump voters are flipping to Kennedy in this scenario, not Biden voters.”
Welker said the results “defied conventional wisdom.”
Kornacki compared Biden’s job approval, which currently sits at 42%, to past presidents at the same point in their presidency. Biden’s 42% approval rating was the lowest among recent presidencies, including Trump’s.
Kornacki also noted that voter interest in the 2024 election was the lowest it has been since NBC News started polling the question in 2008.
Polling in key battleground states shows the race will prove to be very close, as Biden and Trump are currently tied at 48% in Pennsylvania, a Fox News Poll released on Thursday found.
In North Carolina, Trump leads Biden by just two percentage points, according to a poll released in early April.
