How we feel about President Biden
Bottom Line: With the focus of the country squarely on the former president as opposed to the current one for obvious reasons, it’d be easy to ignore an emerging storyline which is every bit as relevant to the 2024 conversation. The way we feel about Joe Biden. There haven’t been many highs by way of public perception for President Biden thus far, the last time he had a net positive approval rating was in May of 2021. However typically no news has been better news by way of public perception for Joe Biden. That’s due to most of the news that’s put him in focus having been viewed negatively by most Americans. In fact, there’s been only one major event or policy announcement made by President Biden which has coincided with an increase in his approval polling two weeks later. That was the announcement of his proposed student loan relief plan in advance of last year’s midterm election. A plan which has been deemed unconstitutional by federal courts and is currently under consideration by the United States Supreme Court. But here’s the thing, staying out of the spotlight no longer appears to be working.
Despite not often making news of late President Biden’s approval rating stands at a paltry 39%, a number which drops to 37% in Florida. But even that’s misleading. His approval rating is supported by almost exclusive support among Democrats. While over 80% of Democrats currently approve of President Biden’s performance, only 27% of independents do. By way of comparison Donald Trump’s approval rating on the same date in his presidency was 44%, a number that while not high, is five points better than President Biden’s. What’s more, Trump’s approval rating on Election Day 2020, when Joe Biden won, was 42% - or three points higher than where we are today. And so, the point is this. While the focus remains on Donald Trump and his indictment – it's not helping Joe Biden with his issues. What’s more, while all of the 2024 focus remains on the Republican primary process, Joe Biden’s numbers and history suggest Democrats should be worried about the lack of a primary process playing out within their party.