According to a new poll obtained by The Hill, more voters say Vice President Harris has the right temperament to be president than former President Trump.
According to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, 45% of respondents said Harris has the right temperament for the job, while 35% said the same about Trump, 14% said neither have the right temperament, and 6% said they weren’t sure.
Respondents also supported Harris when asked who they thought was most trustworthy and honest, who held the right values, and who would protect democracy.
42 percent said Harris could be trusted, a 7-point margin over Trump’s 35 percent. 41 percent said Harris was more honest, a 6-point margin over Trump’s 35 percent. 44 percent said she had more correct values, a 5-point margin over Trump’s 39 percent. 45 percent said Harris would protect democracy, a 4-point margin over Trump’s 41 percent.
Trump held larger leads on questions about who “gets things done” and is a warrior: Trump led Harris by nine points (48 percent to 39 percent) on getting results and by 12 points (51 percent to 39 percent) on being a warrior.
The candidates were nearly evenly matched when asked who would put the country first, who had the right priorities and policies, and who would uphold the Constitution.
“Harris wins on presidential temperament, while Trump wins on grit and execution,” said Mark Penn, co-director of the poll. “Each candidate has clear strengths and weaknesses, and so far overall favorability ratings are roughly equal.”
The poll found that Harris and Trump were tied on net favorability ratings, with 47 percent favorable and unfavorable to Harris and 48 percent favorable and unfavorable to Trump.
Both candidates have seen their approval ratings rise in various polls — Trump’s after the assassination attempt at a rally earlier this month, and Harris’ as she solidifies her support and looks set to become the Democratic nominee.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll was conducted July 26-28 and surveyed 2,196 registered voters. It is a collaboration between the Harvard Center for the Study of American Politics and the Harris Poll.
The survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. The margin of error for the overall sample was 2.1 percentage points.
