Washington: There has been a considerable surge in the popularity of Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump who has pulled even with his rival Democrat Hillary Clinton, the latest opinion poll suggests
The Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday shows 41 percent of respondents supported Clinton while 40 percent backed Trump, with 19 percent undecided yet.
There were 1,289 people who participated in the survey over five days. Trump responded to Reuters and expressed his delight on the results. “Very happy to see these numbers,” he said. “Good direction.” On the other hand, there was no response from the Clinton side.
Trump's numbers surged after he effectively won the Republican nomination last week by knocking out his two remaining rivals, according to the poll.
This is while as recently as last week, Clinton led Trump by some 13 points in a CNN/ORC poll.
The narrowing poll numbers are the result of both a gain by Trump and a drop by Clinton as she tries to overcome Democratic rival U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton: Who will be a better US President for India?
While much can change in the six months until the election, the results of the online survey are a red flag for the Clinton campaign that the billionaire's unorthodox bid for the White House cannot be brushed aside.