Biden faces bleak approval numbers in poll
Voters are broadly dissatisfied with President Biden’s job performance and are opposed to reelecting him, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll — but they don’t like their top Republican alternatives either, reflecting a deep disconnect between what Americans want and the options available to them.
In hypothetical general election matchups, Biden, who announced his reelection campaign last month, trailed the two leading candidates in the Republican primary, former president Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Yet, neither of them exceeded 45 percent in the Post’s poll, with many voters saying they were undecided or naming a different candidate.
In the Biden-Trump matchup, 44 percent of respondents said they would definitely or probably vote for Trump, and 38 percent for Biden. In the Biden-DeSantis matchup, 42 percent said they would definitely or probably vote for DeSantis, and 37 percent for Biden. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
As has been the case in polls for months, most Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters — 58 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points — said they wanted the party to nominate “someone other than” Biden in 2024.
Trump had more than twice as much support as DeSantis in the Republican primary, but not a majority: He was at 43 percent and DeSantis at 20 percent, according to the poll.
In terms of voter opinion, the numbers for Biden were bleak. His approval rating was a dismal 36 percent, with 56 percent disapproving of his job performance (including 47 percent strongly disapproving). More than 60 percent said he lacked the physical health and “mental sharpness” to serve effectively as president.
Trump fared better on those prompts: 64 percent of voters said he was sufficiently physically fit, and 54 percent said he was mentally sharp.