Poll: One in ten Scots would support Donald Trump in US election

Just 12 per cent of Scots would support US president Donald Trump in the coming US election, a new poll suggests.

US president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Des Moines International Airport. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

A survey by YouGov of 1,042 people over the age of 18 found 68 per cent wanted Democratic nominee and former vice-president Joe Biden to win, with 21 per cent stating they were unsure who they would support.

All figures in the individual statistics in the raw data were rounded up.

Democratic presidential candidate, former vice-president Joe Biden, waves to the crowd at Miramar Regional Park in Miramar. Picture: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

When asked who they believed would win the election on 3 November, the gap narrowed with Mr Biden on 44 per cent and Mr Trump at 22 per cent.

Respondents were also asked a raft of questions on the two candidates and the performance of the president since his election in 2016, including how truthful their campaigns have been to date.

A total of 72 per cent of those asked believed Mr Trump's campaign had been mostly dishonest, while 40 per cent of people thought Mr Biden's campaign to be mostly honest - although 35 per cent said they did not know how to answer about the honesty of the former vice-president.

Respondents were also asked about the effect the presidency of Mr Trump has had on Scotland, with 61 per cent saying there has been at least some negative impact and just 6 per cent saying there has been a positive impact.

The survey found 76 per cent of respondents believed Mr Trump's policies have had a generally negative impact on the rest of the world, compared with 8 per cent who said his tenure has been positive.

According to the poll, 62 per cent of people asked believe Mr Trump to be a "terrible" president, with 5 per cent describing him as "good" and 2 per cent as "great".

Matt Smith, lead data journalist at YouGov, said: "After contracting coronavirus and trailing in the polls throughout October, Donald Trump will be looking for all the good news he can get.

"Unfortunately for the president it will certainly not be coming from his ancestral home of Scotland.

"When asked who they would prefer to emerge victorious in the US election this November, by well over five to one Scots say that they want Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden to win.

"The Scottish public's take on Trump's time as president is scathing, with three-quarters saying he has been "poor" or "terrible", and majorities too believing he's had a negative impact both on Scotland and the world more generally."

Mr Trump's mother, Mary Trump, was born on a croft on the Isle of Lewis before emigrating to New York at the age of 18.

The president also owns two golf courses in Scotland, Trump Turnberry in Ayrshire - which he visited in 2018 - and Trump International Golf Links at the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire.

With the election less than three weeks away, Mr Biden holds an average of 9.2 per cent over the incumbent, according to Real Clear Politics - a polling aggregator in the US.

Majorities of Americans are highly critical of Mr Trump's handling of both the coronavirus pandemic and his own illness, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.