Trump and Biden
Trump and BidenREUTERS

Former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has expanded his lead over President Donald Trump following news that the president has been infected with the coronavirus, according to a new poll released Sunday.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online from October 2nd – 3rd, after President Trump revealed that he and First Lady Melania Trump were infected with the coronavirus. The poll surveyed 1,005 adults, including 596 likely voters.

The poll found that if the election were held today, Biden would receive 51% of the popular vote, compared to Trump’s 41%.

That is Biden’s widest lead over Trump in the Reuters/Ipsos poll in over a month.

A majority of Americans, the poll found, believe that Trump probably would not have been infected with the virus if he “had taken coronavirus more seriously.”

Sixty-five percent of respondents, including nine in ten Democrats and half of Republicans shared this sentiment.

A second poll, conducted on behalf of NBC and the Wall Street Journal, gave Biden an even wider lead, trouncing Trump by 14 points among registered voters, 53% to 39%.

The poll was conducted two days after last Tuesday’s presidential debate – but before President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.

Biden’s 14-point lead is his largest in the NBC News/WSJ poll, with his previous high being an 11-point lead, recorded in July.