Donald Trump ‘Partly Responsible’ for Long Coronavirus Shutdowns, New Poll Says

A new poll shows the Americans still see President Donald Trump as at least “partly responsible” for the economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The poll was conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, according to a report by Forbes, and was intended to measure the impact of the Republican National Convention on his support. In general, it did not raise his standing as hoped.

The poll was conducted between Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, taking America’s temperature after the RNC 2020. About 60 percent of respondents said that Trump is “partly responsible” for the prolonged closures of schools and businesses. While Trump has tried to shift the discussion to issues where he believes he can beat former Vice President Joe Biden, the poll found that 78 percent of Americans are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the ongoing pandemic. Overall, just 40 percent of registered voters polled said that they planned to vote for Trump.

The poll is especially damaging considering how quickly it came after the RNC 2020. Typically, presidential candidates see a big boost immediately after their party’s convention — an effect called the “convention bounce.” While not always reliable, it is concerning to Republicans that Trump did not even manage this uptick in approval.

The main cause is clear: the coronavirus pandemic. A whopping 60% of respondents said that they believe the Trump administration’s response to the virus has made its impact worse, not better. While Trump spent the RNC trying to frame COVID-19 in the past tense, it is clear that most Americans do not feel that way.

While 40% of voters polled said they would be voting for Trump in November, 47% said they would be voting for Biden. Meanwhile, the slim pool of undecided voters stands to settle the 2020 presidential election. About 30% of poll respondents said that their “top priority” was fixing the economy, while 16% said it is health care.

In contrast, only 8% of respondents said that “crime” was their top priority for a presidential candidate. This is the issue where Trump has tried to press Biden, claiming that Biden supports rioters over police and that Biden would implement sweeping police reform. This is untrue, as Biden has made clear in his campaign platform, and in his decades-long career as a “tough-on-crime” lawmaker.

The coronavirus pandemic rages on, with over 160,000 American deaths attributed to it by the CDC. Other estimates give even higher numbers, spelling bad news for the Trump campaign in the months to come.