Observation
In March, when the Lowy Institute Poll was fielded, 68% of Australians said they would prefer Joe Biden to be elected as the US president in the upcoming election, while nearly one in three (29%) said they would prefer to see Donald Trump elected.
Six months later, in September 2024, almost three-quarters of Australians (73%) say they would prefer Kamala Harris to become president of the United States, while less than one in four (22%) say they would prefer Donald Trump.
This represents a clear change in the trajectory of Australian attitudes towards the candidates. Harris has gained five points over Biden’s result (68%) on the same question, while Trump slid seven points (from 29%) when pitted against Harris.
Nevertheless, Trump continues to garner more Australian support than any other Republican nominee (Mitt Romney and John McCain) in the history of this Poll. In the September Mini-Poll result, a preference for Trump was higher among males (30%) than females (14%) and those who lean towards the One Nation party (73%) and Coalition (37%) compared to Labor (9%) or the Greens (4%).