Democrats are more angry and fearful about a potential second Trump term compared to GOP attitudes toward President Biden being re-elected, new polling reveals.
Why it matters: There's a bipartisan lack of enthusiasm for a Biden-Trump rematch in November, though anger and fear are powerful emotions simmering beneath the surface.
- 66% of Democrats identified as "extremely/very" fearful and 60% as "extremely/very" angry when asked how they'd feel if former President Trump won in November, per an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published this week.
- 49% of Republicans said they were "extremely/very" fearful about re-electing Biden, while 45% felt "extremely/very" angry.
- About 4 in 10 adults feared another Trump term, compared to 3 in 10 who felt the same regarding a Biden re-election.
Between the lines: Nobody's too excited, either.
- Roughly a quarter of Americans expressed satisfaction or excitement about either candidate winning another term.
- 40% of Democrats said they'd be excited if Biden won, while 54% of Republicans said they'd be excited about another Trump administration.
Zoom out: Even before Biden and Trump became their respective parties' presumptive nominees, public polling showed voters feeling uninspired.
- Recent polling also shows Biden making significant gains against Trump in the past month in six of seven 2024 swing states, Axios' Alex Thompson reports.
Friction point: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who's polling better than any independent candidate in decades — is also a wild card in the race.
- His independent bid has worried Democrats that it could help Trump defeat Biden.
- However, Kennedy recently described his campaign as "a spoiler for President Biden and for President Trump," per The New York Times.
Go deeper: America is Big Mad
Methodology: The poll surveyed 1,282 adults between March 21-25, and had a margin of sampling error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.
