David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, has expressed significant concern about President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection, following a recent Wall Street Journal poll that revealed a record-low approval rating for the president.
The poll, discussed on the “Hacks on Tap” podcast, shows Biden’s approval rating at just 37%, with 61% of respondents viewing him unfavorably.
The poll also indicated a potential challenge for Biden in a hypothetical matchup against former President Donald Trump, with Biden trailing Trump by 4 points. This is particularly alarming for the Biden campaign as the 2024 election approaches. Axelrod noted that private polling he’s aware of also shows a bleak outlook for Biden, though not as severe as some public polls.
The Reuters/Ipsos three-day opinion poll corroborates the sentiment of the Wall Street Journal poll, with Biden’s approval rating hovering around 40%, a marginal increase from 39% in November. The economy, crime, and immigration were cited as the major issues with Americans. Biden’s approval rating saw a modest increase to 45% in a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll, which found a slight improvement in the approval of his handling of the economy.
The Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters between November 29 and December 4, 2022, and has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. It presents a grim picture of Biden’s reelection chances, with most respondents favoring Trump on key issues such as the economy, border security, and inflation. Biden only had the edge over Trump on the issue of abortion.
Robert Gibbs, a former Obama White House press secretary, argued that the Biden campaign needs to start campaigning more aggressively and decisively. Axelrod agreed, emphasizing that the campaign is significantly behind due to the administration’s divided attention between governance and campaigning.
Despite these challenges, Biden has been stepping up his travel for fundraising and campaigning, with recent visits to California and Massachusetts. He is expected to face Trump in a rematch in November, as Trump continues to maintain his position as the GOP front-runner.
Since August 2021, Biden’s approval rating has consistently been below 50% and reached its lowest level of 36% in 2022. The ongoing issues with the economy, crime, and immigration seem to be pivotal in shaping public opinion.