New York: Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has been given a boost by a new poll showing the presumptive Republican nominee winning November’s general election against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll published on Sunday shows Trump with a two per cent advantage over Clinton with registered voters in a hypothetical general election matchup.
According to Langer Research, Trump’s “enhanced competitiveness reflects consolidation in his support since his primary opponents dropped out”.
While positive news for the Trump campaign, it was tarnished by the fact that such a slim advantage falls within the 3.5 point margin of error.
However, this was now the fifth poll since the end of the April to put the billionaire ahead of, or tied with, Clinton.
The findings are also echoed in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll published on Sunday which shows that Clinton’s 11 per cent lead over Trump has narrowed to a mere 3 per cent, 46 to 43.
This was in stark contrast to a potential battle between Bernie Sanders and Trump, which found the former with a 15 point margin, 54-39 per cent.
The ABC/Washington Post poll also shows that 58 per cent of Americans think Trump is “unqualified to be president,” while 76 per cent believe he “doesn’t show enough respect for those he disagrees with.”
While Clinton supporters may find some solace in this, it won’t come as welcome news that the presumptive Democratic nominee has something in common with her Republican arch-rival.
When Clinton’s “unfavourable” rating is combined with Trump’s, the two, together, are the most unpopular likely candidates for a presidential election since the ABC/Post election polls began. Hillary is disliked by 53 per cent of Americans, while 60 per cent disapprove of The Donald.
On the other hand, Bernie Sanders was found to be “unfavourable” by only 38 per cent.
One aspect of the findings that may leave Democrats particularly worried is that Trump has a 13 per cent advantage over Clinton among independents.
This is a reversal from the March findings, which showed Clinton leading by 9 among the grouping.
In a tight race, independents could decide who is elected as 45th president of the US in November, and if Trump can hold onto this lead, the Republicans may just take back the Oval Office.
The ABC News/Washington Post poll was based on a sample of 1,005 people from across the country, including 829 registered voters, all of whom were surveyed between May 16 and 19.
The WSJ/NBC News poll was conducted between May 15 and 19 with a sample of 1,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
