Biden trails Trump, sees approval rating slipping to new low, shows poll

New Delhi: Former US President Donald Trump, who by far is the favorite to take the Republicans’ nomination among a growing field of potential challengers, is leading President Joe Biden by six points, according to the Washington Post/ABC News survey.

Published on Sunday, the poll shows Biden’s approval rate slipping to 36 per cent, down from 42 per cent in February. Low ratings have plagued Biden throughout his entire term in office thus far, but 36 per cent is the lowest in any Washington Post/ABC poll to date.

Biden had on 25 April formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish this job” and extend the run of America’s oldest president for another four years.

Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age.

“We — you and I — together we’re turning things around and we’re doing it in a big way,” Biden had said. “It’s time to finish the job. Finish the job,” he added.

Biden fails to generate enthusiasm

However, Biden’s announcement appears to have done little to generate enthusiasm among his voters.

According to a poll, Registered Democrats are evenly split (47 per cent- 47 per cent) on whether the party should nominate Biden or ‘someone other than Biden’ in 2024, while 77 per cent of independents who lean Democratic want to see the 80-year-old incumbent replaced at the helm of the party.

Biden’s low approval and the lukewarm enthusiasm around his campaign has played into Trump’s hands.

Asked who they would vote for in 2024, 44 per cent of American adults said that they would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ vote for Trump, while 38 per cent said that they would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ back Biden; 18 per cent were undecided.

Trump, who announced his campaign in November, is by far the favorite to take the Republican nomination.

As many as 51 per cent of Republicans surveyed said they would like to see Trump take the spot, while 25 per cent favored Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has not formally entered the race yet. The remaining candidates – a list that includes former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley – all scored between 1 per cent and 6 per cent.

Trump did better in handling economy

According to the poll, 54 per cent of voters think Trump did a better job of handling the US economy than Biden, while 36 per cent think Biden has performed better during his presidency so far.

While the US inflation rate has fallen since its four-decade high of 9.1 per cent last June, it remains higher than at any point between the 1980s and 2022, and gasoline is still nearly twice as expensive as it was during Trump’s administration.

Biden’s mental and physical health are weak points too.

According to the Washington Post/ABC survey, 63 per cent of voters think that Biden lacks the mental sharpness to perform as president, while 62 per cent think he is in too poor a physical condition to serve effectively.

Doubts about Biden’s fitness have grown throughout his presidency, as video after video show the president muddling through speeches, falling over, and appearing visibly confused at meetings and events.

The poll identified ongoing criminal trials and investigations as potential roadblocks for Trump, with majorities believing that he ought to be charged for calling the 2020 election invalid, handling classified information improperly, and inciting the riot on Capitol Hill on 6 January, 2021.

With inputs from agencies

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