OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President Joe Biden officially announced earlier this week in a video posted online that he was running for reelection with an insult to perhaps half the country, once again calling them “MAGA Republicans” and characterizing them as too extreme.
Within days, a new survey found that his approval rating has fallen to among the lowest of his term.
According to a Gallup poll, the approval rating for Biden’s job performance among U.S. adults was just 37 percent, the lowest since July 2022 when it was at 38 percent. A significant majority of 59 percent of adults expressed disapproval, Fox News Digital reported.
Per Gallup’s findings, President 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.
“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.
When asked who they would like to replace Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2024, most Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (69 percent) did not have a specific answer beyond “just someone besides Joe Biden.” Among those who specified someone else, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was the top pick with 5 percent, followed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg with 4 percent. Vice President Kamala Harris and former First Lady Michelle Obama tied for third place, each receiving 3 percent of the responses.
These were before Williamson and RFK Jr. entered the Democratic primary race.
Biden’s lack of popularity is also reflected in his approval rating on major policy issues, which is underwater in every category. His approval rating is in the 30s for three issues: the economy at 37 percent approve to 62 percent disapprove, immigration at 35 percent to 63 percent, and gun policy at 37 percent to 62 percent. Environmental policy is Biden’s best issue, with a 46 percent to 52 percent rating, but he is still underwater in this area as well, the survey found.
