After President Donald Trump took office, many voters doubted he would finish his term, much less stand for re-election. But, as the 2020 race heats up, voters are increasingly confident the eventual Democratic nominee will indeed face off against the current occupant of the White House.
In August 2017, 58 percent thought Trump would finish his term. Now 70 percent do, according to the latest Fox News Poll released Thursday.
The poll also found, paradoxically, an even higher number — 80 percent — think Trump will run for re-election. Fourteen percent do not.
Republicans have always been all-but-certain Trump would finish his term (94 percent now vs. 90 percent two years ago), but now, far more Democrats and independents think so, too. The new poll finds 50 percent of Democrats say he will, compared to 31 percent in 2017. Sixty-two percent of independents agree – up from 52 percent in 2017.
Still, a sizable minority — 23 percent of all voters — thinks the president will not stay all four years. Democrats lead that charge with 40 percent saying so.
“That may just be wishful thinking,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who runs the Fox News Poll along with Democrat Chris Anderson. “The party distribution among those doubting Trump is heavily skewed towards the Democrats, most of whom concluded long ago that the president is guilty of a range of sins and transgressions.” – READ MORE