That ABC/WaPo poll that everyone is talking about is probably an outlier — at least, it’s probably an outlier in the sense that Donald Trump is not going to beat Joe Biden by ten points. But, if it’s even remotely directionally correct, Biden is in trouble. Among the problems that the president faces — problems that exist independently of Donald Trump, or a head-to-head matchup between Biden and Trump — are that:
- 44 percent of Americans say they are financially worse off as a result of Joe Biden’s presidency;
- 37 percent approve of Biden’s job performance;
- 30 percent approve of Biden’s economic record;
- 23 percent approve of Biden’s handling of the border;
- 74 percent believe that Biden’s too old to be president;
- 40 percent would blame a shutdown on Biden, as opposed to 33 percent who would blame the GOP in Congress;
- 62 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents want Biden to step aside in favor of another candidate
These are terrible numbers. In fact, they are so bad that they are making Trump look better by comparison:
Trump, for his part, has improved in retrospect. When he reluctantly left office in January 2021, 38% approved of his work as president, essentially the same as Biden’s rating now. But currently, looking back, 48% say they approve of Trump’s performance when he was in office — matching his peak as president. Essentially as many — 49% — now disapprove, down from 60% when he left the White House.
Thus far, our press has responded to the vast majority of the public’s criticisms of Biden by insisting that voters have been hoodwinked into a temporary form of false consciousness. At some point, one assumes, that will change.