After Donald Trump won the 2016 US presidential election despite trailing his opponent Hillary Clinton during almost the entire campaign (and losing the popular vote to her as well), Trump supporters are gunning for a 2020 repeat of his last electoral college victory against Joe Biden, who has consistently led Trump in national polling for months. However, Biden's lead over Trump has been not only mostly larger than Clinton's, but also more consistent, and it has gradually widened as we approach Election Day on November 3. We compare both trajectories, highlighting a few key events that had an impact on Trump's national polling gap at the time with his Democratic challenger.

More For You

US President Donald Trump arrives to announce reciprocal tariffs against US trading partners in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on April 2, 2025.
POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com

From civil conflicts to trade wars to the rise of new technologies, GZERO runs through the stories that have shaped this year in geopolitics.

Ukrainian serviceman walks near apartment buildings damaged by Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine December 20, 2025.
Oleg Petrasiuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS

Ukrainian intelligence services assassinated a senior Russian general on the streets of Moscow on Monday, detonating a bomb strapped to his car.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at the July 14, 2025 military parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. - 14/07/2025 - France / Ile-de-France (region) / Paris
Julien Mattia / Le Pictorium.

1: French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to build France’s first aircraft carrier in decades, as Europe accelerates rearmament.