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A growing share of Democrats see former President Donald Trump as someone who will shake up the country for the better, poll trends show.
There has been a steady increase in the number of Democrats who see Trump in a positive light rather than as "a danger to democracy" who would further divide the U.S., according to a series of polls from Harvard CAPS/Harris.
The pollster's March survey found that 33 percent of Democrats say Trump will shake up the country for the better, a three-point uptick from February's poll and a five-point increase from January's poll. Comparatively, the number of Democrats who see Trump as "a danger to democracy and will hopelessly divide the country if elected" has decreased from 72 percent in January to 70 percent in February and 67 percent in March.
In November, 29 percent of Democrats saw Trump as shaking up the country for the better, while 71 percent called him a danger to democracy.
The trend casts a shadow over recent polls that have signaled good news for President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. The Democrat has been able to make significant gains against Trump in several swing states over the last six months, suggesting that Biden could make a comeback, even as their rematch tightens.
Trump, however, remains in the lead in states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. The presumptive Republican nominee is currently leading Biden by 1.6 percentage points, according to RealClearPolling averages. On this day in 2020, Biden was leading Trump by 7 points in a head-to-head matchup.
Democrats also appear to be changing their minds about Trump. Although the former president has received low marks from Democrats throughout his political career, his general approval among Democrats has risen since he left office in 2021.
March's Harvard-Harris poll found that 29 percent of Democrats strongly or somewhat approve of the job that Trump did as commander-in-chief. In January 2020, only 14 percent of Democratic respondents told Harvard-Harris pollsters they approved of Trump's handling of the presidency.
Even though Trump may be winning over some Democrats, Biden remains on strong footing with his own party. Even as only 45 percent of Americans say they approve of Biden, an overwhelming 84 percent of Democrats approve of the president.
There's also a growing number of Democrats who think Biden has been improving as a president. In March's poll, 52 percent of Democrats saw Biden as improving when asked if he was improving, getting worse or staying the same. In February, 49 percent said Biden was improving while 45 percent said the same in January.
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About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more