Trump, Biden nearly tied as general election kicks off: poll

Former President Donald Trump holds a slim advantage over President Biden after the two candidates secured their parties’ nominations, a new poll shows. 

The two politicians unofficially secured their respective parties’ nominations on Tuesday after both passed the required threshold of delegates.

The USA Today poll – conducted in partnership with Suffolk University – found that 40% of respondents favored Trump, compared to 38% for Biden.

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Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A key finding of the survey was the number of registered voters who are open to changing their minds. 

Approximately 25% of those surveyed said they would consider switching their vote between now and the election – 14% of likely Biden voters and 15% of likely Trump voters.

Among those polled, 15% of respondents reported disliking both candidates, according to USA Today. Approximately 25% of these individuals leaned toward Trump, 18% toward Biden and 44% of them reported intending to vote for third-party candidates. 

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President Biden speaks during his State of the Union address Thursday at the U.S. Capitol. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

With both Trump and Biden crossing the necessary threshold of delegates to all but guarantee their nominations on Tuesday, the public is expecting a 2020 rematch.

Both candidates have proven exceptionally unpopular with voters, and their presidencies have experienced similar tepidity in approval polls.

It is still unclear if Biden will accept Trump’s challenges for a public debate – the administration has thus far dodged questions on the topic.

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Then-President Donald Trump answers a question as former Vice President Joe Biden listens during the final presidential debate of 2020 at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. (Morry Gash/Pool via Reuters)

The USA Today/Suffolk University poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters. Respondents were contacted via cellphone and landline.

It was conducted from March 8 to 11 and reports a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.