President Donald Trump has been criticized for exaggerations and misstatements during the coronavirus pandemic, but he's not telling tall tales when he brags about his television ratings.
More than two-thirds of American investors tune in to watch the president’s daily updates on the crisis, according to a report from Spectrem Group. But investors’ attitudes are highly impacted by their political affiliation, the report said.
Of those watching, 37% said they do so frequently, 34% watch the updates sometimes and 12% of investors never miss the chance to hear what the president has to say in his briefings.
More than half (55%) rate the president’s performance as poor or terrible, but only 13% of Republicans hold that opinion. meanwhile, 92% of Democrats gives the president a thumbs down and two-thirds of independents said the president is flubbing his way through the crisis.
The report, "Investors and the Election: A Guide for Financial Advisors in 2020," focused on 800 investors with a net worth of $100,000 to $25 million, not including the value of their primary residence. Workers and retirees were included.
When investors were asked who they might be voting for in November, 47% indicated they would be voting for the Democratic nominee (the survey was conducted before Sen. Bernie Sanders officially dropped out of the race), while 36% said they would be voting for President Trump. Fifteen percent of voters were undecided.
Democrats held firm in their views that they would never vote for the president because of his policies (67% in March versus 70% in April).
Among Republicans who plan to vote for Trump, 27% fully support his policies while 53% said they support his policies but are sometimes troubled by his commentary. Four percent indicated that they support the president but are afraid to tell others and 16% do not fully support the president, but feel the alternative is not much better.
Among voters who are undecided, 31% said they will never vote for the president but feel the Democratic candidates are too far to the left. Meanwhile, 38% indicated that they do not like the president’s personality but support his policies. Four percent support his policies but are afraid to acknowledge it to others and 18% indicated that if they do not like the Democratic candidate, they are more likely to vote for Trump.
Forty-five percent of investors believe that Joe Biden would have done a better job of handling the coronavirus pandemic. That included only 9% of Republicans, while 82% of Democrats and 48% of independents said Biden would have done a better job handling the pandemic.
And when it comes to the economy, 42% said Trump would be good for the economy if re-elected. That represented the views of 84% Republicans. Only 5% of Democrats felt that way and 32% of independents.