More than 40% of voters who support either President Donald Trump or his opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, said they aren’t ready to accept defeat, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday.
The poll indicated that 41% of Trump supporters would refuse to accept a Biden victory while 43% of Biden voters believe a Trump win is unacceptable.
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participate in the final presidential debate at Belmont University on Oct. 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the last debate between the two candidates before the Nov. 3 election. (Photo by Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images)
Refusing to accept defeat could translate into street protests or violence for 22% of Biden voters and 16% of Trump supporters, the poll found. (RELATED: Trump Tells Nevada Rally That Biden Family Is ‘A Criminal Enterprise,’ Crowd Chants ‘Lock Him Up’)
Campaign rhetoric during the presidential election remains at a fever pitch.
The anti-Trump Lincoln Project released an ad last week with former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele suggesting the presidential election offered Americans a stark choice between the current president and America itself.
Top Democrats, including the Majority Whip South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, have warned that Trump will attempt to cling to power if he suffers defeat.
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Trump’s vitriolic rhetoric at his mass rallies is a danger to public officials who oppose him and it “has to stop.” Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said last week that he is concerned by Trump leading crowd chants of “lock him up” and that there is “no disguising the threatening nature of those words.”
President Donald Trump gestures on stage during a rally at Prescott Regional Airport in Prescott, Arizona on Oct. 19, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The latest RealClear Politics average of polls has Biden leading the race by 8%, 50.8% to 42.8%. (RELATED: Pollster: Trump On Track For Reelection With ‘Hidden’ Voter Support)
Pollsters conducted the The Reuters/Ipsos survey online from Oct. 13-20 and talked to 2,649 voters from across the United States, including 1,039 who said they supported Trump and 1,153 who said they backed Biden.
The poll is considered to be accurate within plus or minus four percentage points.