Poll: Donald Trump Leads Joe Biden in National Matchup

Former President Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden in a national matchup, the latest March survey from Mclaughlin & Associates shows.

The survey asked respondents:

Now, if the 2024 Presidential election were held today, which one of the following best describes how you would vote in the general election for President between Donald Trump, the Republican candidate and Joe Biden, the Democrat candidate, for whom would you vote?

In a head-to-head matchup, Trump leads Biden by six points — 49 percent to Biden’s 43 percent. That represents a two-point bump from the four-point lead Trump had in January.

Of the 49 percent who said they support Trump, 35 percent said they definitely” would vote for him, eight percent said they “probably” would, and six percent said they lean toward Trump. On the flip side, 30 percent of Biden’s figure said they would “definitely” vote for him, followed by nine percent who said they “probably” would, and four percent who lean toward the 81-year-old. Another eight percent remain undecided. Both Trump and Biden are tied in this matchup among independents, garnering 41 percent support each.

The survey also examined the presidential race with third-party candidates included. In that scenario, Trump still maintains a lead, garnering 38 percent support to Biden’s 34 percent — a difference of four points. Another 12 percent chose independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., followed by two percent for Cornel West and two percent for Jill Stein. Another nine percent remain undecided:

#NEW General Election Poll

🔴 Trump 38% (+4)
🔵 Biden 34%
Kennedy 12%

McLaughlin #277 – 1,000 LV – 3/14

— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) March 18, 2024

In this matchup, independents are again split, with 24 percent supporting Trump, 25 percent supporting Biden, and 24 percent supporting RFK Jr. Another 19 percent remain undecided.

The survey was taken March 9-14, 2024, among 1,000 general election likely voters. It comes as Biden continues to attack Trump, particularly after the former president’s interview with Breitbart News, in which Trump made it clear that he “will never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare.”

“We’ll have to do it elsewhere,” Trump said. “But we’re not going to do anything to hurt them.”