Three bad polls this week, including one showing that former President Donald Trump would easily win in a third try, are proof that President Joe Biden is on the rocks and at his lowest point in our Weekly White House Report Card.
“At the moment, he’s in trouble,” said pollster and Secrets grader John Zogby.
“Donald Trump, you know, could possibly win. The issue now is going to be whether or not Joe Biden can get his sea legs, which is very possible, but it’s really challenging because he’s on the defensive on so many issues,” said Zogby in his latest podcast.
This week saw the continuation of bad approval ratings for Biden, whose administration is suffering a huge rejection by independent voters over his poor withdrawal from Afghanistan, inflation, and the border crisis. The success of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall victory, helped by Biden, hasn’t done much to slow the president’s slide.
Two polls showing Biden underwater came from Gallup and the Pew Research Center. Both revealed double-digit declines in approval ratings.
2024: Trump over Biden by 10 points, Harris by 13
1-in-5 Democrats would vote TRUMP too @Rasmussen_Poll https://t.co/VzVmEujKhW
— Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard) September 23, 2021
And Rasmussen Reports survey found that in a new election, Trump would beat Biden by 10 percentage points and that 1 in 5 Democrats would vote for Trump.
“There is a strong element of buyer’s remorse,” said Zogby in giving Biden a “D” for the week. Our conservative grader, Jed Babbin, was away this week.
John Zogby
Grade: D
A new Rasmussen Reports poll says it all for this week. If the 2020 election were conducted today, former President Donald Trump would defeat current President Joe Biden by 10 points.
The margin may be a little high for my taste, but the results speak volumes about the state of the Biden presidency thus far. Only nine months into his term and there is a strong element of buyer’s remorse.
His 41% approval is 10 points lower than the percentage of votes he received less than a year ago. And, like English novelist Thomas Hardy’s “Mayor of Casterbridge,” nothing is going right for him.
Photos of Haitian refugees being rounded up and bullied at the Mexican border are horrible to watch and undermine the president’s support among a key base of African American, liberal, and younger voters. A totally botched unilateral decision to sell nuclear submarines to Australia not only undermined and undercut France, our longest ally, but raised eyebrows about how the United States conducts business.
COVID-19 numbers are bad, and promises of numbers to be vaccinated have fallen far short.
And the president spoke before the United Nations about his vision, but friends and critics worldwide questioned his authority, command, and if he was actually better than Trump.
He needs a victory, but he is being squeezed by a small but growing number of centrists in Congress, as well as a large and uncompromising group of progressives. He may get a victory or two on infrastructure, voting rights, and climate — but not this week. And he really cannot have more weeks like this.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His weekly podcast with son and partner Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on Twitter @ZogbyStrategies
Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin
