Former President Donald Trump topped President Joe Biden’s approval rating by double digits at the 18-month mark of their respective presidencies, a Sunday Rasmussen Reports poll revealed.
While according to the New York Times Joe Biden outgained Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election by about seven million votes, Biden’s approval rating 18 months into his presidency is ten points lower than Trump’s was at the same point in his.
Donald Trump’s approval rating was 47 percent in 2018, while Biden’s approval rating on Sunday was 37 percent – just 18 months after assuming office.
FiveThirtyEight polling on Monday found Biden’s approval rating 18 months into his presidency — 38.4 percent — is lower than any president’s at the same stage in more than 75 years. And FiveThirtyEight’s approval polling has marked Biden with a more favorable rating than other polls. According to Civiqs, Biden’s approval rating on Saturday sank to a historic low of 29 percent, the lowest of his presidency.
Only five presidents have descended into the 20s over the length of their presidency, according to Gallup. Those presidents include Harry Truman (22 percent), Richard Nixon (24 percent), Jimmy Carter (28 percent), George H.W. Bush (29 percent), and George W. Bush (25 percent).
Biden’s shaky approval numbers come amid White House claims that he will run again in 2024, though many in the establishment media have opposed the idea and have promoted Govs. Gavin Newsom (D) and J.B. Pritzker (D) as alternatives.
The media’s quest for Biden’s replacement has reportedly “irked” and “irritated” the president. “The White House is trying to tamp down speculation about plans to seek re-election, while aides say President Biden is bristling at the persistent questions,” the Times wrote.
Biden reportedly told former President Barack Obama in April he intends to run for reelection because he believes he is the only Democrat who can defeat a potential presidential bid by Trump. Yet public opinion favors Trump. Multiple polls have shown Biden behind Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head contest: here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter and Gettr @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.