President Donald Trump appears to have badly underestimated the extent to which the pandemic has elevated Americans' fears and frustrations across the political spectrum. His leadership, or more accurately the lack of it, is topmost on the minds of Republicans, Democrats and independents heading into the Nov. 3 election, according to a new national survey.

Voters are upset. They want a plan to address the dangers to Americans' health and economic security. And they don't feel that current policies are working, according to the results of a new NPR/Ipsos poll.

Democratic responses to the poll questions were hardly surprising. What is extraordinary are the survey results show growing, heavy concern among Republicans, meaning that Trump is losing support even among those he was counting on to back him in November.

The onus is on his likely Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, to announce a plan quickly and decisively to address the deepening economic challenges and send the coronavirus into remission. For Trump, it might be too late for him to unveil any new plan since what he's offered so far has failed miserably — in spite of his insistence that everything is "under control."

A section of questions in the poll reveals the nation's growing concerns. Asked how much each candidate's economic-recovery plan would factor in the respondents' vote, 66% overall responded "very important." The candidate's coronavirus-recovery plan was very important or somewhat important for 85% of respondents. A majority wants to see each candidate's plan to reunite the country, while only 47% cited each candidate's stance on funding for law enforcement as very important.

In other words, the issues that Trump is trying to minimize — or distract the nation's attention from — are exactly the issues voters care most about. His emphasis on law enforcement isn't most voters' priority, even among Republicans.

In answer after answer to the poll's questions, strong majorities favor more aggressive action to stem the pandemic, including 76% who favor state laws mandating the wearing of masks in public at all times, and more than 60% favoring a single national strategy for the reopening of schools and businesses. Despite Trump's demand that public schools resume in-person classes this fall, 41% of his fellow Republicans prefer that classes be conducted remotely.

Trump cannot rely on his fellow Republicans to ignore his failed leadership on this issue and vote for him anyway. A plurality of Republicans feel the country is performing somewhat or much worse than other countries in managing the pandemic. Vast majorities of Democrats and independents feel that way.

The nation is begging for leadership and is clearly skeptical of Trump's ability to deliver. The opportunity has never been better for Biden to seize the lead by announcing a comprehensive, aggressive plan and filling the vast leadership void that Trump has created.

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