Americans in states where either Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won 49 percent to 51 percent of the vote in 2016 are more likely to trust Biden over Trump (45% vs 35%) to handle the pandemic response.
Trump appears to be losing ground on this issue. A Yahoo News/YouGov Poll from two weeks ago showed that Americans in toss-up states were slightly more likely to trust Trump over Biden (41% vs 37%) to handle COVID-19. A poll conducted in late-March found similar margins in favor of Trump (44% vs 39%). Given the smaller sample, the earlier polls would be well within the margin-of-error.
Even the most recent poll showing a 10-point edge toward trusting Biden is not insurmountable given the small sample. But, it indicates that Trump is at-risk for slipping in states where the handling of COVID-19 remains an important issue. States that narrowly went for Trump in 2016 are now within the margin-of-error for trusting Trump over Biden (+3 points).
