How Do Americans View Bidens Handling Of The Pandemic And The Economy
Most Americans think Biden is handling the coronavirus pandemic far better than Trump. Sixty-two percent approve of how Biden has managed the U.S. response so far. Another 30 percent say they disapprove.
Chart by Megan McGrew/PBS NewsHour
The publics approval of Bidens actions far exceeds that earned by Trumps leadership during the pandemic. His highest approval rating was 18 points lower, at 44 percent in March 2020, the same month the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic and Trump labeled it a public health emergency. From there, his approval on handling the pandemic dropped as low as 37 percent, recovering slightly to 39 percent by the time he left office in January.
But Americans have less faith in Bidens ability to heal the nations wounded economy compared to Trump. While 46 percent of U.S. adults approve of how Biden has managed the economy, another 41 percent do not approve. During Trumps last days in office, half of Americans said they approved of the former presidents handling of the economy, a sentiment thatTrump leveraged throughout his presidency and in his 2020 campaign for a second term.
Keanu Adams, 25, of Vacaville, California, said he voted for Biden and hopes the president recognizes the country needs more than public health and economic fixes right now.
The nation needs to uproot systemic problems to address what is really wrong, Adams said.
Views Of Biden Trump And Other Political Leaders
A larger share of the public expresses an unfavorable opinion than a favorable opinion of each of eight different prominent political leaders, including four Democrats and four Republicans. These figures are consistently viewed more negatively by members of the opposing party than positively by members of their own party.
A narrow majority of the public say they have very or mostly unfavorable views of Joe Biden, compared with 43% who have very or mostly favorable views. While about nine-in-ten Republicans and Republican leaners have an unfavorable opinion of Biden, three-quarters of Democrats and Democratic leaners have a favorable view.
Views of Kamala Harris are nearly identical to those of Biden: 43% of the public rates her favorably versus 52% unfavorably. As is the case with opinions of Biden, the share of Republicans who express negative opinions about Harris is larger than the share of Democrats who express positive opinions .
More Americans say they have an unfavorable view of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer than view them favorably . Pelosi is far more widely known than Schumer just 3% have never heard of Pelosi, compared with 26% who say they have not heard of Schumer.
Donald Trump is viewed favorably by a somewhat smaller share of the public than Biden . Three-quarters of Republicans view Trump favorably, while about nine-in-ten Democrats view him unfavorably.
Biden Tops Trump In Hypothetical Election Rematch Wall Street Journal Poll Says
Side-by-side image showing President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump .
Hypothetically, if a presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump were to take place again today, Biden would win. At least thats according to a poll from The Wall Street Journal.
The poll, which was conducted between August 17-25, gauged voter turnout, their stance on the current economic situation and views of political parties among several factors.
The most notable question, however, was: “Hypothetically, if the 2024 election for President were held today and the candidates were Joe Biden, the Democrat, and Donald Trump, the Republican, for whom would you vote?”
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Here Are The Results:
Definitely voting for Biden: 46%Probably voting for Biden: 4%
Total for Biden: 50%
Definitely voting for Trump: 37%Probably voting for Trump: 7%
Total for Trump: 44%
And 6% of people who participated in the poll answered “undecided.”
The slight bump for Biden may not be a huge surprise considering some of his recent successes on climate and health care legislation.
In just the past several weeks, Biden has signed into law a climate and prescription-drug package that accomplishes many of his partys long-held objectives Congress has sent him bills that impose strict limits on guns and set out a plan to boost U.S. high-tech manufacturing. A drone strike killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, average gasoline prices have fallen back below $4 per gallon and there are signs that inflation while still white-hot may finally be cooling
Biden signs Inflation Reduction Act into law
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law and it includes the most substantial federal investment in history to fight climate change some $375 billion over the decade and would cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 out-of-pocket annually for Medicare recipients. It also would help an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden Leads Trump In Hypothetical Rematch: Poll
President Biden would defeat former President Trump if the 2024 presidential election were held today, according to a Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday.
Biden holds a 6-point lead over Trump in a hypothetical rematch, with 50 percent of registered voters saying they would probably or definitely vote for Biden and 44 percent saying the same of Trump.
This is up from March, when Biden and Trump were tied in the hypothetical rematch, with each receiving 45 percent support.
Biden and the White House have said he intends to run for reelection in 2024. Trump has not made an official announcement but has repeatedly teased another run.
Biden has seen a bump in popularity after a series of political successes last month, including the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the announcement of some federal student loan debt forgiveness.
In the Aug. 17-25 Wall Street Journal poll, which interviewed 1,313 registered voters nationwide, 45 percent said they approved of Bidens performance as president, a 3-point bump from March.
A new Quinnipiac University poll similarly showed a 9-point spike in Bidens approval rating, jumping from 31 percent in July to 40 percent in August.
Despite the bump in job approval ratings, a majority of Democrats in Massachusetts said they think Biden should not seek a second term, according to another new poll.
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Ballotpedia’s Polling Index: Comparison Of Opinion Polling During The Trump And Biden Administrations
| Cabinet White House staff Transition team |
| Policy positions |
Weeks covered: 79
This page compares overall trends in opinion polling averages during the presidency of Joe Biden to those during the presidency of Donald Trump . Ballotpedia’s polling indexes are an average of polls that measure public sentiment on presidential job approval, congressional job approval, and satisfaction with the overall direction of the country.
Ballotpedia’s polling indexes are updated every weekday based on opinion polls released by qualifying sources. The most recent poll released by each qualifying source is included in the overall polling average. Polls are removed from the average when the same source releases a more recent poll or 30 days after the poll was last in the field, whichever occurred first. This page looks at these polling numbers on a week-over-week basis, starting with the first full workweek of the new president’s term. This means that the numbers on this page are all weekly averages of daily average poll results.
To view the current polling index, click here. For a detailed look at opinion polling during the Trump administration, including a full list of qualifying polls taken, click here.
HIGHLIGHTS
Donald Trump Leads Joe Biden By 5 Points In Texas Ut/tt Poll Finds
The president leads the former vice president 50%-45% in Texas, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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President Donald Trump leads former Vice President Joe Biden with the support of 50% of the states likely voters to Bidens 45% in the 2020 race for president, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
The Republicans Trump and his running mate, Vice President Mike Pence had strong support from white and male voters, while the Democrats, Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, are the favorites of female , Black and Hispanic voters in Texas.
Among Republican voters, 92% favor Trump, while 96% of Democratic voters said theyll vote for Biden. The states independent voters prefer Biden, 45%-37%, over Trump.
Despite the dramatic swings in events and issues during 2020, the contest for the hearts and minds of Texas voters has changed little in the race for the nations top elected office. The latest poll is a case in point the survey was conducted during a period that included the first presidential debate and Trumps hospitalization for COVID-19. Even so, the result is in line with previous UT/TT surveys. In February, a UT/TT Poll found Trump ahead of Biden 47%-43% in what was then a hypothetical head-to-head race, because the Democrats had not chosen their nominee. In April, Trump led 49%-44%, and in June, 48%-44%.
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Roughly Half Of Americans Approve Of What Biden Has Done So Far
About half of Americans 49 percent said they approve of how Biden has served as president so far, less than two months into his presidency, according to the latest poll. But as was the case with his predecessor, whose last year in office was marred by the pandemic, much of that support comes from people who identify as members of his own party. Among Democrats, Bidens approval rating was 87 percent. But only 11 percent of Republicans and43 percent of independents said they approved of the president.
Chart by Megan McGrew/PBS NewsHour
Another 42 percent of Americans disapprove of what Biden has done so far as president, including 81 percent of Republicans and 43 percent of independents.
Still, Biden currently has a higher job approval rating than former President Donald Trump ever reached during his four years in the White House, according to Marist polling data. And support for Biden seems to be growing. In this latest poll, 52 percent of Americans said they had a favorable impression of him. Thats up from 41 percent in October 2019 in the midst of Trumps first impeachment. Since then, Biden has inched up in favorability.
Republicans in Congress face steeper job disapproval, with 64 percent of Americans saying they do not like what they are seeing, an increase of 6 percentage points over January 2019, including 38 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats.
Lower White Support For Trump In Pennsylvania Michigan And Wisconsin
The three crucial northern battlegrounds of both 2016 and 2020 are the relatively white states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Each one flipped for Biden this election.
Exit polls in all three states indicate that more Democratic-favorable margins among different white blocs between 2016 and 2020 contributed to Bidens wins. See Figure 4 and .
Beginning with Pennsylvania, it is clear that white college graduatesboth male and femalevoted more Democratic in 2020 than in 2016. Particularly noteworthy is the change for white male college graduates , while white female college graduates increased their Democratic support from 14% to 19%.
Pennsylvanias seniors, too, registered a smaller Republican margin, while white noncollege men and women remained fairly strongly Republican. But the shift among white college-educated Pennsylvanians toward Democrats, strong nonwhite support, and greater support among young people were enough to seal Bidens win.
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Whites Made Biden Competitive In Racially Diverse Sun Belt States
As the final votes were being counted, three Sun Belt states remained competitive between Biden and Trump: Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. While their final outcomes also depended on nonwhite racial groups, white voting blocs in these states shifted since 2016 in ways that benefitted Biden. See Figure 4 and .
Take Arizona. It is a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1996. While rapidly diversifying, its older white population has leaned heavily toward Republicans. This time was different white college graduate women and men flipped sharply toward Democrats, from 2016 Republican advantages of 2% and 12%, respectively, to 2020 Democratic advantages of 15% and 3%. Likewise, white noncollege men reduced their Republican support from 28% to 10%. In addition, Arizonas senior population flipped from Republican support to even Democratic-Republican support.
These shifts, as well as increased Democratic support among 18- to 29-year-olds and continued Democratic support from the states Latino or Hispanic voters, contributed to Bidens vote gains in Arizona.
Georgia, a longtime deep red Republican state, has been inching toward battleground status due to its large and growing Democratic-leaning Black population. Yet its strong white Republican margins have led to GOP presidential wins since 1996. This year, those white Republican margins were reduced enough to make the state competitive.
Lower Confidence In Biden On Issues
Public confidence in Biden on major issues has declined as his overall job approval rating has fallen. Today, majorities say they are not too confident or not at all confident in Bidens handling of several issues, including his ability to deal with an international crisis and to make good decisions on the economy.
As in the past, Biden draws more confidence for his handling of the public health impact of the coronavirus than other issues. About as many say they are very or somewhat confident in Bidens handling of COVID-19 as say they are not too or not at all confident .
Of the issues included in the survey, the public is least confident in Bidens ability to bring the country closer together: 74% say they are not too or not at all confident in Bidens ability to do so. Only about a quarter of the public say they are confident in Bidens ability to bring the country closer together.
Confidence in Bidens ability to handle many of these issues has declined since the early months of his presidency.
Since March 2021, confidence in Bidens ability to make good decisions on the economy has fallen 17 percentage points , and there have been comparable declines in confidence in the presidents handling of the coronavirus, immigration, and law enforcement and criminal justice.
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Trump Leads Biden In Hypothetical 2024 Match
Former President Trump has an early edge over President Biden in a hypothetical 2024 rematch, according to a new Emerson College poll.
The national survey shows Trump leading Biden 44 percent to 39 percent in a head-to-head match-up, while another 12 percent of voters say they plan to vote for someone else.
Trumps support has held firm since May, when the same poll found him notching 44 percent support in a 2024 race against Biden. But Bidens support has waned somewhat since then, dropping from 42 percent in May to 39 percent in late June.
Of course, whether a rematch of the 2020 presidential race materializes in 2024 remains an open question.
While Biden has said that he plans to seek a second term in the White House, some Democrats have begun questioning whether he should actually do so.
Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly hinted at a potential 2024 run, though he hasnt yet committed himself to another campaign and some Republicans remain skeptical that he will actually move forward with a comeback bid.
If he does ultimately decide to run, however, Trump would be the early favorite to win the GOP presidential nod. Fifty-five percent of voters say they would support Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, while 20 percent would back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rising star within the party who has been floated as a potential presidential contender.
Views Of Joe Biden Donald Trump Congressional Leaders
Over the past year, Joe Bidens job approval has declined substantially among many groups, including members of his own party.
Last July, about nine-in-ten self-identified Democrats said they approved of the way Biden was handling his job as president. Today, about three-quarters say the same.
Among political independents, Bidens job rating has fallen from 54% a year ago to 33% today. In particular, Biden has lost ground among independents who lean to the Democratic Party. Democratic leaners tend to be younger, on average, than self-identified Democrats, and they are more likely to be men.
Today, only about half of Democratic leaners approve of Bidens job performance. While his rating among Democratic leaners has not changed a great deal since January, it is about 30 percentage points lower than it was a year ago .
Since he first took office, generally only small shares of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have approved of Bidens performance as president. Today, just 8% of Republican leaners and 3% of self-identified Republicans give Biden positive job ratings.
Among the overall public, 37% say they approve of Bidens job performance, while 62% disapprove. More than twice as many adults strongly disapprove of Bidens job performance as strongly approve .
While majorities across all age groups disapprove of Bidens job performance, his approval rating is 10 points lower among adults under 30 than among those 65 and older .
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Trump Beats Biden Harris In Hypothetical 2024 Match
Former President Trump leads President Biden and Vice President Harris in hypothetical 2024 presidential match-ups, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey released exclusively to The Hill on Monday.
The poll found that if the 2024 election were held today, 45 percent of respondents would vote for Trump in a race against Biden, who attracted the support of 41 percent of respondents, while 14 percent were unsure or didnt know.
In a hypothetical Trump-Harris match-up, Trumps lead expands to 7 percentage points. Forty-seven percent said they would support Trump, compared to 40 percent for Harris and 13 percent who were unsure or didnt know.
Biden is a very weak Democratic nominee and would lose even the popular vote in a rematch today, Penn said. Trump is far from 50 percent support, and there is a high undecided vote despite everyone knowing the candidates, because the public wants new over more of the same.
The poll comes as Bidens approval rating remains at roughly the lowest point in his presidency. The poll found his approval rating clocked in at 38 percent, which was unchanged from when the pollsters asked the question a month ago.
Biden and White House officials have repeatedly said the president intends to run in 2024 if his health allows.
The two presidents and Harriss favorability ratings, however, all remain underwater.
A majority of respondents indicated they did not want Trump nor Biden to run in 2024.
