President Donald Trump released a 30-second political advertisement on Wednesday that accuses his opponent, Joe Biden, of adopting “crazy far-left ideas” and hiding in his basement rather than defending them. A YouGov snap poll indicates that Republicans view the spot as negative (55%) — but also honest (81%) and effective (86%).
The video opens with a voiceover saying, “In the heart of Delaware, Joe Biden sits in his basement alone, hiding, diminished. Refusing to answer questions about crazy far-left ideas he’s adopted: a massive tax increase, allowing China and Mexico to steal our jobs, amnesty for illegal immigrants, letting them compete for American jobs. Biden has no answers, and after five decades of failure, he never will.”
The YouGov snap poll asked 1,000 registered voters to watch the “Delaware” advertisement and share their opinions on its tone. All voters were asked to put aside their own political affiliation while evaluating the clip. About three-quarters of registered voters say the advertisement is negative (74%), and about half call it dishonest (49%). Fewer than half (44%) of registered voters believe the advertisement will be effective — though, Republicans are about twice as likely (86%) to say it will be.
The advertisement does little to impact voters’ pre-existing views on Biden. After viewing “Delaware,” positive opinion of Biden dropped within the margin of error among registered voters (48% before; 45% after), Democrats (84% before; 82% after), and Republicans (7% before; 5% after). For Independents, positive opinion of Biden dropped five points (43% before; 38% after).
An earlier advertisement from the Trump campaign, “Break In,” chipped away at Democrats’ and Independents’ positive opinion of Biden more effectively, according to a separate YouGov snap poll. After viewing “Break In,” positive opinion of Biden dropped eight points among Democrats (86% before; 78% after) and six points among Independents (46% before; 40% after).
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Methodology: This article is based on a flash poll of 1,000 registered voters surveyed via YouGov Direct on August 5, 2020 between 4:00 p.m. and 4:51 p.m. This YouGov Direct Poll was weighted according to age, gender, race, education, and 2016 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±4.0%
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