If Trump Ran Against Obama, The President Would Lose. Now A Poll Says The Same

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Donald Trump leads Barack Obama by one point in a hypothetical face-off between the current president and next president, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

Forty-five percent of respondents said they'd pick Trump to be president over Obama, while 44 percent said they'd prefer a third term for the current president, the Morning Consult/Politico poll found.

Late last month, Obama told a CNN podcast that a message of optimism, like his in 2008, could have defeated Trump's more divisive brand of populism.

Trump responded with a tweet saying "NO WAY" would Obama have beaten him.

Even though the poll showed Trump slightly ahead, more respondents thought Obama would win a hypothetical matchup with Trump. Forty-seven percent said Obama would win, while 42 percent said Trump would.

The poll was conducted from Dec. 28 to 29, surveying 2,000 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.