President Donald Trump is expressing disapproval of a new CNN poll that suggests Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has a 14-point lead in the presidential race for the White House.
Trump took to Twitter on Monday to dismiss the poll as he recalled the previous poll results during his 2016 presidential race against former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“CNN Polls are as Fake as their Reporting. Same numbers, and worse, against Crooked Hillary,” Trump tweeted. “The Dems would destroy America!”
CNN Polls are as Fake as their Reporting. Same numbers, and worse, against Crooked Hillary. The Dems would destroy America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2020
According to the 43-page report on the CNN/SSRS poll, 38% of respondents approve of Trump’s presidential handling while 57% disapprove of the president’s overall job performance. The president’s latest rating is the lowest he has received since January 2019, according to The Hill.
In addition to overall performance, more than 6 out of 10 respondents disapprove of Trump’s stance on race relations. Approximately 65% of voters believe Trump’s response to protesters has been “more harmful” than helpful.
The poll, conducted from June 2 to June 5, consisted of 1,259 adult respondents, including 1,125 registered voters.
The release of the poll information follows the latest presidential primary elections on June 2. The results of those elections highlight the significant impact of absentee ballots.
Tom Ridge, former Homeland Security Secretary and Republican governor of Pennsylvania, weighed in on the results of the primaries.
“The June 2 primaries proved what we already knew – access to absentee ballots increases voter turnout,” Ridge said.
Although the previous poll results aligned with the popular vote, Trump still managed to take the Oval Office as a result of winning the Electoral College.
Ridge, who also co-chairs the bipartisan group VoteSafe, also stressed the importance of giving voters options.
“That’s especially good news for someone like me who does not believe voting is a privilege, but rather a responsibility of citizenship,” he added. “Voters should have options to demonstrate that responsibility safely and securely during this pandemic.”