As Biden Slips on Issues, Poll Finds Voters Reassess Trump

Incumbent's approval rating hits 37%
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 24, 2023 4:45 PM CDT
Polls Finds Voters Unhappy With Biden on a List of Issues
President Joe Biden walks to the podium to speak after Vice President Kamala Harris introduced him at the Congressional Black Caucus' 2023 Phoenix Awards Dinner, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

There's no single issue President Biden's team has to address to bolster his support among voters, new polling shows: There are a bunch. An ABC News/Washington Post poll found 44% of respondents saying their personal financial situation has worsened during Biden's term, the highest share the poll has seen since 1986. His overall approval rating is at 37%, disapproval at 56%, per ABC News. Just 23% like Biden's handling of the situation at the US-Mexico border. Since May, the share who say the president is too old to serve a second term has risen 6 points, to 74%.

The findings of an NBC News poll are similar. It adds a warning sign for Democrats that part of their base is showing less interest in the next presidential election. "I know that 80-year-olds are perfectly capable," said Mary Lyon, 53, an Arizona Democrat. "I worry more about Biden's physical health. He seems a little bit feeble and this job does take a toll." The ABC/Post poll also shows Biden trailing the Republican nominee he beat last time, 51%-42%, should they meet again. Those results show some voters liking Donald Trump more now than they did then; his approval rating was 38% when he left office, while 48% in the Post poll now say they approved of his job performance.

On the other hand, Kevin Chester, an Arizona Republican who voted for Trump twice before, is moving away from him, per NBC. He fears that Trump wouldn't accomplish anything in a second term because he'd be busy litigating the past. "I would vote third party in protest if it was Trump versus Biden," Chester said. The Post conceded that Trump's 9-point or so lead in its poll is not supported by other polls and probably indicates the race, should it happen, is a dead heat. (More Election 2024 stories.)

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