OAN’s Daniel Baldwin
April 26, 2024
President Joe Biden has hit a new low. Biden averaged a 38.7% job approval during the first quarter of 2024, according to Gallup. Biden’s election year first quarter approval rating average is the lowest in history.
This is not a good sign for the embattled 81-year-old president, considering former presidents who lost reelection all held approval ratings higher than Biden’s at this stage of their presidencies. Former President Donald Trump’s election year first quarter approval rating average was 46.8%, more than 8% higher than Biden’s. Former President George H. W. Bush had a 41.8% approval rating, and former President Jimmy Carter had a 47.7% approval rating.
Another issue Biden faces is that his approval rating shows no sign of immediate, material improvement. According to RealClearPolitics polling average, Biden’s approval rating sits at 40% right now. Over the last year, Biden’s approval rating has oscillated between a high of 43% and a low of 39%.
Biden’s approval numbers certainly suggest he is in grave peril to lose reelection to Trump come November. But it’s important to understand what benchmarks his approval rating may need to reach in order to build confidence in his reelection bid.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all had approval ratings above 50% at least once in their respective reelection years. Gallup’s Presidential Job Approval Center shows that Biden has not hit a 50% public approval rating since July 2021. He has not hit 44% since August 2022. This suggests a Biden approval rating revival is highly unlikely at this stage of his presidency.
Americans’ dissatisfaction with Biden’s performance as commander-in-chief is reflected in both swing state polling and national polling. A new Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll shows Trump leading Biden in six of the seven key swing states likely to decide the election. They specifically soured on Biden due to their pessimistic view of the economy. Bloomberg revealed that 96% of swing state voters said the economy was either very important or somewhat important. 51% of respondents said they believe the overall economy will get worse before the end of the year. And 78% said they feel the president is either very or somewhat responsible for the performance of the economy.
These responses simply add credence to the theory that Biden’s approval rating will not increase as the year progresses. And if that proves to be true, Donald Trump will likely become the 47th President of the United States.