Growing dissatisfaction with Biden coincides with Donald Trump's stable popularity
With less than a year left until the US Presidential election, President Joe Biden is escalating his public criticism of Donald Trump. Last week, Biden stated that part of his motivation for seeking a second term is to prevent Trump’s return to the White House.
“If Trump weren’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win,” Mr. Biden emphasized. These comments come at a time when several polls indicate a dead heat between the two in a hypothetical runoff if the election were held today, with some polls showing Mr. Trump surpassing Mr. Biden in the numbers. Some analysts suggest, ironically, that Biden may be the reason for Trump’s potential comeback.
Polling data compiled in the last week of November from 11 sources by FiveThirtyEight reported that 39.1% of voters had a favorable opinion of Biden, while 42.1% favored Trump. Similarly, Joe Biden’s unfavorable ratings are at 54.7%, compared to Donald Trump’s 53.2%. The 81-year-old incumbent is also facing the lowest approval ratings at this stage of his presidency compared to as many as 12 of his predecessors spanning the last 80 years.
Age is a key factor working against Biden at the moment (he will be 82 if elected), coupled with dissatisfaction over the state of the economy and his handling of the Israel-Gaza war, particularly among voters between the ages of 18 and 34, causing concern within the Democratic Party. Furthermore, a recent New York Times/Siena poll showed Biden trailing Trump in five out of six battleground states. Trump’s popularity remains high despite facing a series of criminal cases, with a trial scheduled for next year.
Despite all this, Trump has not ruled out abusing power if he returns to the White House. During a recent Fox News event, when asked about abusing power, Trump replied, “Except for day one, I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.” For this reason, President Biden and his campaign team have openly named and called out Trump in recent weeks, highlighting the contrast between the two and warning people about the potential dangers and instability of having him back as commander-in-chief.
