Biden Would Defeat Trump in 2024 But Lose to DeSantis, New Polls Finds
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Feb. 24, 2022, in Orlando, 
InternationalIndiaAfricaA new poll has found that US President Joe Biden’s most troublesome rival in the 2024 presidential elections wouldn’t be the one he faced off against in 2020 – then-US President Donald Trump, who announced his campaign in November 2022.The results of a WPA Intelligence poll conducted in the first week of January 2023 recently found that US President Joe Biden would handily beat Trump if the 2024 election were held tomorrow – but he would lose to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The poll of 1,035 voters found that 49% preferred Biden to his predecessor, but if the race was between Biden and DeSantis, the Florida governor would beat the incumbent president by 42% to 45%.
On the other side of things, the poll also asked about voters’ unfavorable opinions of the trio. DeSantis’ unfavorable rating was the lowest at 38%, while Biden had a 55% unfavorable rating and Trump 60%.Those results follow the broad trends observed by researchers in recent months, as DeSantis has surged ahead of Trump in popularity on the heels of a handily-won reelection in November, and as Trump has foundered amid multiple scandals and lawsuits. Biden has also seen a boost in popularity since the November midterms, which his Democratic Party didn’t lose as badly as many expected.It may also not be a coincidence that DeSantis is by far the youngest of the three: while in 2024, Biden will be 82 years old and Trump will be 78, DeSantis will be just 46 years of age.Of the three, only Trump has officially committed himself to the 2024 election, while Biden has said he intends to run if physically and mentally able, but has not made an official declaration yet. DeSantis is expected to announce later this year.
