It was tempting for us to wonder about how low Biden could go in polls. All polls seem to give the same answer: even lower.
Gallup conducted a poll about the fifth quarter of Biden’s presidency. 41% of the president’s approval was for his job, while 56% disapprove.
While the fifth quarter numbers aren’t much better than his fourth-quarter ratings (41.7%), they still indicate a continuing downward slide for Biden.
Gallup’s Jeffrey M. Jones stated that Biden received majority approval ratings during his first two quarters in office. His job approval ratings ranged from 40% to 43% in eight Gallup polls conducted since September.
Additionally, he holds the dubious distinction of having the second-worst 5th quarter polling among post-1942 Presidents. He polled at 39.1% approval. This quarter ended April 2018.
Jones wrote that even though their average approval ratings for the fifth quarter were at least five percentage points higher than Biden’s, Jimmy Carter was joined by Biden and Trump in having an average of less than majority approval during their presidencies. ”
It is worth noting (and it’s something that I’ve recently highlighted — see the Related Link below), that it is very rare for presidents’ numbers to improve before midterm elections. Gallup agrees.
Jones points out that Biden’s low approval ratings in job interviews pose a serious threat for the Democratic Party’s chances of retaining its small majority in Congress. Presidents with lower approval ratings than 50% are more likely to lose seats. ”
He says, “While it is possible that Biden might get more job approval between the now and fall elections,”. This would go against the historic pattern of second-year presidents.
Even Barack Obama the sainted president saw his approval ratings plummet four percentage points between the fifth and seventh quarters. Donald Trump’s approval rose by two points.
President Obama’s fortunes will not improve if the Biden Administration doesn’t make course corrections or double down on unpopular policies.
Jones believes that Biden’s chances of improving his job approval ratings before the fall midterms is dim. This is due to the history with second-year presidents as well as the fact that his approval ratings have remained in the low 40s for eight months.Â
