Days after President Joe Biden announced his re-election campaign with a lackluster video posted on social media, his approval rating among the US public has dipped to a dismal 37%, according to Gallup. This represents a 14.3% drop in support for the President since the 2020 election when he won 51.3% of the vote. Moreover, only 16% of Americans believe the economy is “excellent” or “good,” while 47% find it “poor.” The declining job approval of Biden is likely tied to Americans’ increasingly negative view of the country’s economy. Let’s dive in.
Despite being more than a year away from the 2024 presidential election, current job approval ratings for President Joe Biden are cause for concern. Recent polling from Gallup indicates a decline in Biden’s approval rating to a dismal 37%, which translates to slightly more than one in three people in support of his presidency. This represents a significant drop of 14.3% from his 51.3% win in the 2020 election.
Furthermore, Biden’s current approval rating stands as the lowest Gallup has recorded to date, indicating a worrisome trend for the incumbent president. While his approval rating remained in the low 40s for most of his first 18 months in office, it plunged to 38% in July 2020, its lowest point prior to the current 37% rating.
Results of the latest Gallup poll conducted between April 3-25, 2022 indicate a further decline of 3 points from March and a 5-point drop from February. Additionally, Biden’s ninth quarter average in polling stands at a mercurial 39.7%, which is the lowest among post-World War II presidents since Ronald Reagan’s 1983 mark of 35%, when the unemployment rate was above 10% following a recession.
While other former presidents such as Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump had approval ratings slightly above Biden and Reagan at just over 40%, they trailed far behind more highly regarded presidents. Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush all averaged above 60% approval during their ninth quarter in office, indicating that Biden’s current rating is cause for worry.
The significant drop in Biden’s job approval rating corresponds with a 9-point dip in support from independents, of which only 31% back him, whereas 83% of Democrats still support him. This is the lowest reading for independents to date, and indicates a distressing trend for the president’s re-election prospects.
The key issue driving Biden’s decline in popularity is the economy, with just 16% of the public viewing the economy as “excellent” or “good.” Additionally, a growing number of Americans, namely 47% of respondents, currently view the economy as “poor,” which is up from 43% in March. Gallup’s April Economic Confidence Index dropped to -44, down from -38 in March, marking its last recorded level in October, thus reflecting further negativity.
It is apparent that President Biden’s job approval rating is struggling due to the lack of confidence in the economy and his overall failed leadership. With the 2024 election still over a year away, the President has some significant challenges to overcome if he hopes to retain his position. The lack of enthusiasm from independents, a major voting bloc, should be concerning for the Biden administration. As the country continues to navigate this final stretch of Biden’s first – and hopefully only – term, his job approval rating will undoubtedly be closely monitored by both parties as the election season heats up.
