OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President Joe Biden announced earlier this week in a video posted online that he planned to run for reelection, but a poll released just days afterward should bring him some pause.
A new survey from Gallup found that Biden’s approval rating for its poll is the lowest in his presidency — a paltry 37 percent, one point lower than his previous low mark of 38 percent.
“Biden’s job approval has been in the low 40% range for most of the past 19 months, apart from the current reading and a 38% score last July,” the polling firm said in a press release.
A significant majority of 59 percent of adults expressed disapproval, Fox News Digital reported.
Biden’s approval rating has remained in the low 40s for the past 19 months, after initially reaching a high of 57 percent when he first took office in January 2021. The latest poll reveals that his average approval rating over the ninth quarter of his presidency is 39.7 percent, which is lower than former President Donald Trump’s average rating of 41.6 percent during the same period.
“When split by political party affiliation, 83% of Democrats, 31% of independents and 4% of Republicans said they approved of Biden’s job performance. Gallup noted that the 31% approval from independents ties his lowest score from the group, and is down nine percentage points from February,” the report continued.
The poll indicates that President Biden’s declining job approval rating is linked to the American public’s increasingly negative perception of the economy. The survey found that only 16 percent of respondents rated the economy as excellent or good, while 37 percent described it as “only fair,” and 47 percent rated it as poor, which is an increase from the 43 percent who gave the same assessment in March.
Gallup noted further:
Only Ronald Reagan in early 1983 had a lower ninth-quarter average among elected post-World War II presidents. Reagan’s low ratings came during a period when the unemployment rate exceeded 10% after the 1981-1982 economic recession.
Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump had slightly better approval ratings than Biden and Reagan; both were just above 40%. Four presidents, including George H.W. Bush, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and George W. Bush, averaged better than 60% approval during their ninth quarters in office.
“Just 19% say the economy is getting better, but 75% say it is getting worse,” Fox News Digital added, citing the survey’s results.
The poll was conducted on the day Biden announced his intention to run for a second term in the White House. Biden is facing primary challenges from environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and self-help author, spiritual guru and 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson.
However, other polls have indicated that a majority of those in his own party do not want him to run again.
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS during the month of March found that two-thirds of respondents do not want Biden to run again. Further, the survey indicates that Biden’s approval rating may have declined after Democrats’ performance in the 2022 elections exceeded expectations. However, the poll was mainly conducted before the news of former President Donald Trump’s indictment, so it doesn’t reflect any shifts in public opinion related to that event, the Daily Wire reported.
Biden’s approval rating stood then at 42 percent, with a disapproval rating of 57 percent. In January, his approval rating was 45 percent, and his disapproval rating was 55 percent.
The poll also showed that his approval ratings are much lower when it comes to Americans who believe that Biden should serve a second term. Only 32 percent of Americans believe he deserves another term in office, while 67 percent do not. However, Biden’s numbers are a little better among registered voters, with 36 percent saying he deserves another term compared to 61 percent who believe he does not.
A majority of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents also do not support Biden running for another term. The poll found that 44 percent of this group favored Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election, while 54 percent said that someone else should be given the opportunity, the Daily Wire said, citing the survey’s results.
