With his approval ratings down, the president now trails his 2020 rival by 6 points
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has a four-point lead over President Joe Biden in a new poll, with Biden’s approval rating falling to a new low. Among the growing list of potential Republican challengers, Trump is by far the most likely candidate for the Republican nomination.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Sunday showed Biden’s approval rating slipping to 36 percent from 42 percent in February. Low approval ratings have plagued Biden’s entire term so far, but 36% is the lowest result in a Post/ABC poll so far.
Biden’s announcement last month that he would seek re-election in 2024 did not appear to spark enthusiasm among his voters. Registered Democrats were evenly split (47%-47%) on whether the Democrats should nominate Biden or “someone other than Biden” in 2024, while 77% of Democratic-leaning independents wanted to see that. The 80-year-old incumbent is at the helm of the party.
Biden’s low approval ratings and lukewarm enthusiasm for his campaign work in Trump’s favor. Asked who they would vote for in 2024, 44 percent of U.S. adults said they would “definitely” or “likely” vote for Trump, while 38 percent said they would “definitely” or “likely” support Biden. Deng; 18% are undecided.
Trump, who announced his candidacy last November, is by far the favorite for the Republican nomination; 51% of Republicans surveyed said they would like to see Trump occupy the field, while 25% favored Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to officially compete. The rest of the candidates — a list that includes former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — are all in the 1% to 6% range.
The poll showed that 54% of voters think Trump has done a better job than Biden in handling the U.S. economy, while 36% think Biden has done better so far during his presidency. While U.S. inflation has eased from a four-year high of 9.1% last June, it remains higher than at any point between the 1980s and 2022, and gasoline prices are still nearly double what they were under Trump.
Biden’s physical and mental health is also a weakness. According to the Post/ABC poll, 63 percent of voters think Biden lacks the mental acumen to be president, while 62 percent think he’s too physically ill to serve effectively. Doubts about Biden’s fitness have grown during his presidency, with video after video showing the president stumbling, falling over during speeches and appearing confused at meetings and events.
Polls highlight ongoing criminal trials and investigations as potential stumbling blocks for Trump, with majorities saying he should be blamed for announcing 2020 election fraud, mishandling of classified documents and his role in encouraging riots on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021 facing charges for his role in the
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