Once ‘worst president’, Biden steps down – Dodging the bullet of Shame?

Reactions to President Joe Biden’s decision not to run for re-election have been mixed, with former President Donald Trump unsurprisingly jumping at the chance to lambast Biden, branding him as ‘the worst president in the history of our country.’ But new data suggests that Trump might be facing an uphill battle in his own current political standing, contrasting significantly with his bold words.

One might wonder at Trump’s confidence, considering the recent Economist/YouGov polling report. The report paints a less than flattering portrait of Mr. Trump’s popularity ratings. At this particular stage in his second term, Trump is flailing with a -15 net approval rating. On the other hand, Biden actually had a positive net approval rating of +1 during his tenure.

The Economist/YouGov poll does not bode well for Trump. It is not just about the general public’s opinion, but even within his own party, the numbers are not encouraging. His approval rating among Republicans currently sits at +74, which approaches his lowest point of +72. Interestingly, Biden had achieved a +81 net approval rating among his Democrat peers?

When Biden decided to step out of the race for the 2024 election in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump didn’t miss a beat with his criticism. He dubbed Biden as ‘the single worst president by far in the history of our country.’ However, the poll data certainly raises questions about Trump’s own perceived performance.

Americans seem to have lost their taste for Trump’s policies since the start of his second term. His approval on every major issue seems to be spiraling downwards. A 12 point drop has been observed in his handling of crime related issues. This is far cry from earlier constructive approval rating of +12, which has now fallen to a stark 0.

Immigration-related issues, which played a significant role in Trump reclaiming the presidency, show a dramatic plunge by 17 points, sliding from +11 to a concerning -6. This drastic decrease calls into question his ability to manage key issues effectively.

Trump’s previously high perceived performance on the economy is also suffering. This is especially crucial, considering how pivotal it was for his ascendency to the presidency in the first place. The former positive approval rating of +12 has hit a low of -11, evidencing a 23-point decline.

His handling of inflation and prices echoes a similar story. Trump has dropped an alarming 31 points, moving from +6 at the dawn of his second term to a depressing -25. These figures all point to a rather grim narrative: Trump is struggling to maintain public approval.

In foreign policy as well, Trump has entered negative territory. Starting his second term with a +3 approval rating, that number is now -11, a troubling 14-point decline. This poor performance suggests a lack of confidence in Trump’s diplomatic prowess.

The Economist/YouGov poll conducted this survey with 1,777 U.S. adult citizens from July 25 to July 28. A margin of error considered in the poll comes with a plus-or-minus 3.4 percentage point. But, it does give us a fair idea of Trump’s waning popularity and his struggle to maintain a hold over the public’s trust.

Comparatively, Biden’s decision not to run for re-election appears to have had less of a negative impact on his approval ratings than Trump’s actual performance in his second term. Trump’s assessment of Biden as the ‘worst president in the history of our country’ could perhaps be argued against, using Trump’s own declining approval ratings as an example.

The Democratic party’s decision to have Kamala Harris running for 2024 instead of Biden was met with derision from Trump. But given the current climate, throwing stones from a weak approval glasshouse might not have been such a wise move. Factoring in the state of affairs since the start of Trump’s second term, his criticism of Biden and Harris appears redundant.

Looking at the numbers, opinions formerly held about Biden and Harris may be trivial when compared to the real-time dissatisfaction for the Trump administration. Above data represent the average citizen’s sentiment more authentically, and it looks like the citizens are voicing their discontent loud and clear.