Biden remains seven points ahead of Trump in new poll as president sees no 'law and order' boost after Republican convention

Majority of Americans say they're still concerned about the coronavirus pandemic while just eight percent cite crime as a top priority ahead of the November vote

Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has not received a boost from the Republican National Convention or Republicans' attempts to paint the president as the “law and order” candidate amid civil unrest, according to a new poll.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday showed Joe Biden ahead of Mr Trump by seven points nationally — a lead that remained mostly consistent over the last three weeks, despite both parties holding their virtual conventions.

While the president and his allies used their convention last week to claim he was the only person capable of preventing violent riots and protests by the “radical left” from taking over the country, Mr Biden and Democrats countered the president’s messaging the week prior, instead focusing on the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and its apparent inability to resolve racial tensions sparked by the high-profile deaths and police-shootings of numerous black Americans.

According to the new poll, a mere eight percent of respondents cited the issue of crime as a top priority for the US, compared to 78 per cent of those surveyed who said they remained concerned about the Covid-19 outbreak.

A majority of Americans — nearly 60 per cent — said they blame Mr Trump in part for the continued impact the pandemic has had on the country, from historic job losses to closed schools and businesses.

The majority of Americans who appear to support the nationwide demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality has also largely remained unchanged since July, with 53 percent of respondents saying they remain sympathetic to the activists and their cause.

The RNC sought to raise fears about a Biden presidency, with Mr Trump claiming voters “won’t be safe in Biden’s America” during the president’s speech on the final night of the convention.

But with more than 180,000 Americans having died as a result of the pandemic, the Biden campaign has continued to focus on the pandemic, calling for a face mask mandate and attacking the current administration for lacking a national plan to combat the virus.

Mr Biden has meanwhile continued to express his support for the protests while condemning any acts of violence, rioting or looting — a conventional practice often espoused by politicians on either side of the aisle. Mr Trump has not condemned some violent incidents in recent days, including a fatal shooting in which one of his supporters was alleged to have killed two protestors.

The former vice president has continued to counter the president’s messaging on crime, saying in Pittsburgh this week: “The simple truth is Donald Trump failed to protect America. So now he’s trying to scare America.”

Mr Biden also posted a tweet in response to Mr Trump’s convention speech, writing: “When Donald Trump says tonight you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America, look around and ask yourself: How safe do you feel in Donald Trump’s America?”