Biden and Harris: A Nightmare Scenario

The fluctuating approval ratings of a president paint a vivid picture of the public sentiment at any given time, strongly influenced by the executive’s knack for dealing with pressing challenges. The second term of President Trump has begun with a lot of action, with no indications of any slowdown. Despite the soaring egg prices and large-scale firings in the government sector, the Zelensky meeting seems to have left a minimal impact on Trump’s approval rating, which stayed strong in the initial two months, even hitting a record high.

However, a subtle descent has been detected recently, signaling that people’s perception is failing to maintain the initial enthusiasm amid the tariff wars launched by the President and consequent fears of an impending recession. In an unprecedented move, Trump declared 10% tariffs on all countries, going up to a whopping 54% total tariff on China, drawing strong retaliation from them and others.

Daily polls conducted by Rasmussen Reports displayed a steady job approval rating over 50% since the inauguration of Trump, which took a sharp downturn after April 3, the day ensuing the significant tariff announcement. From that point onwards, the approval rating took a steady downward trajectory reaching a current 47%, while the disapproval surged to 51%.

The most recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed a slight drop in Trump’s job approval rating from 52% to 49%. However, it’s worth noting that disapproval remains less than the approval, standing at 46%. The poll also suggested that a majority of 54% of voters consider Trump to be performing better than his predecessor, albeit this figure also impresses a negative trend.

A look at the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll unveils another dip in Trump’s job performance approval to 42% from 45% just a few weeks earlier. That being said, it’s still respectable compared to his first term, and quite impressively above anything Joe Biden managed during his run, which is quite telling of his lack of efficiency.

On posing the question about the overall direction in which the country is moving, an alarming 61% of respondents held a pessimistic view, thinking we are off track, starkly contrasting to partisanship laced 22% who thought otherwise. However, the national economy and political landscape evoked a more mixed response, with 30% feeling positive, 53% negative and the remaining unsure.

Same trend continues as we look into the myriad areas of governing like employment and jobs and inflation, with the nation torn between optimistic and pessimistic factions in similar proportions. Yet, the Trump Administration scores well in the area of Immigration, securing a lead in approval rates of 48% against a disapproval of 44%. Talk about a win!

However, the handling of Russia and Ukraine does pose a challenge for the Trump administration, which enjoys a lackluster approval of less than half polled. But it does give us an insight into how poorly someone like Biden would cope up, considering his weak record in the domain of international relations, making the current administration’s stand seem comparatively better.

When asked about the ideology behind imposing tariffs, the lore that American employees eventually benefit when the U.S. imposes taxes on imported goods, reactions were polarized. Almost half, 45%, decided to go against it, while 31% were in favor, leaving 14% uncertain. Bradford DeLong, a Harvard economist points out, ‘ooph, that’s not a good report card.’

As for Vice President JD Vance, his standing is also not very impressive with a rating which fails to even reach the halfway mark, at 41%, and an unfavorable rating of 49%, just shy of half. RealClear Polling, which combines results from 13 distinct pollsters, paints an even gloomier picture – Trump’s overall approval rating has dipped to 47.5% versus 49.9% who disapprove.

Although there is an evident slump in Trump’s approval ratings, it only takes a quick cross-check with Biden or Kamala Harris’s approval ratings to get a daunting perspective on their capabilities and public perception. Under their rule, more negative sentiments could have possibly surged.

The comparisons drawn are not intended to highlight the effectiveness of Trump’s administration, but merely to juxtapose the prospective impacts under the governance of Biden and Harris. Their performances so far only seem to exacerbate the negativity, given the polling patterns.

Seeing the cascading approval ratings of Trump at a time when the United States navigates through significant challenges, it is difficult not to scorn the alternative. Imagine giving the steering wheels of our Nation during these times to someone like Biden or Harris, whose track record in governance has left much to be desired.

Comparing the Trump administration with a potential Biden-Harris tenure, the sense of security seems stronger with the former. Smoothing out hiccups, such as tariffs and trade wars, stands as a task ahead. But are they poised to bring the needed change based on what their records speak? Highly unlikely.

In conclusion, there’s a need for Trump’s administration to rectify the issues causing the downhill slide in approval ratings. However, attempting to hand over the baton to the Biden-Harris regime is not the solution, considering their proven ineptitude in countering similar issues.