According to a recent poll, a majority of independents believe that President Biden is more dangerous to democracy than former President Donald Trump. This finding has stunned MSNBC analysts, who are struggling to make sense of the result.
An MSNBC analyst expressed shock and bewilderment on Wednesday after a survey revealed that a majority of independents perceive President Biden as a greater threat to democracy than his predecessor, Donald Trump.
"I find it shocking, honestly," declared MSNBC analyst Susan Del Percio. "I can't make sense of that number. I wish I could," she continued, referring to the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National poll.
The survey found that 53% of independents anticipate Biden undermining democracy during a second term. In contrast, only 42% of independents voiced similar concerns about Trump's potential impact on democratic institutions.
Del Percio acknowledged the paradoxical nature of the result, given Biden's consistent portrayal of Trump as a threat to democracy and Trump's counterclaims that Biden poses the true danger.
"I wish I could have some really great insight to it, but I don't know if it's an outlier or not, because the other numbers of independents are going in the right direction," Del Percio said.
Biden has consistently outperformed Trump in national polls for the 2024 presidential election, but a recent joint poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University indicates a narrowing gap between the two candidates.
Among registered voters, Biden and Trump are now tied at 37% support, with Democrat-turned-independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. trailing at 8% and other third-party candidates garnering 5%.
Del Percio also commented on the potential impact of Trump's ongoing trial in New York, expressing concern that the lack of televised coverage could diminish its salience among voters.
"This trial is not on TV," she told MSNBC host Ana Cabrera. "You guys do a great job reporting what's happening, but if there aren't those images coming out of the courthouse, people feel like they know this story."
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office into alleged payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence Stormy Daniels about an alleged affair with Trump.
According to the same poll, 55% of Americans are not actively following the trial proceedings, while 45% are engaged on a regular basis.
Despite the poll's findings, Del Percio highlighted that other indicators suggest positive trends among independents. However, she emphasized the need to further analyze the reasons behind their perception of Biden as a greater threat to democracy than Trump.
