President Joe Biden continues to lose ground to Donald Trump and is now trailing the former president 45-43 in a head-to-head matchup going into the final year of his first term in the White House. Many are concerned about Biden’s age, with nearly two-thirds of respondents thinking he wouldn’t even be able to finish a second term if elected.
“President Biden may be having a ‘Blue Christmas’ this year given his worsening electoral prospects heading into 2024,” WPA Intelligence executive Amanda Iovino told National Review. “His once 7-point lead over former president Trump in May is now a 2-point deficit as his favorability ratings have sunk to Trump’s levels.”
Biden’s favorability has dropped precipitously since the early summer, with nearly 60 percent of respondents now disapproving of his performance, according to a new poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted by WPA Intelligence and obtained by National Review. While Biden led Trump by 15 points in terms of favorability in May, today, the two candidates have nearly identical ratings. Republicans trailed Democrats by 2 points on a generic ballot in May but now lead by 1 point.
National Review reports that the positive Biden has going for him is that while the former president has retained the support of 91 percent of his 2020 followers, Trump has only managed to persuade 3 percent of Biden voters to join him. Moreover, Trump’s voting base, according to WPA Intelligence, is notably less reliable on Election Day than the bulk of Biden supporters.
Nonetheless, in addition to his age, Biden’s reelection campaign has plenty of dark clouds hovering over him. From his handling of the southern border crisis, government spending, inflation, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, with nearly two-thirds of respondents disapproving of the president’s handling of each of those issues. Consequently, independents have swung notably in favor of Trump in recent months, handing him a 7-point edge over Biden.
