New poll shows Biden losing to Trump, approval ratings at new low

Two weeks after he announced his reelection campaign, President Joe Biden’s approval rating has sunk to a new low, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Sunday. 

The president’s approval rating dropped to 36%, below his lowest rating recorded in 2022 and falling 6 percentage points between February and May of this year. 

The poll also found that the majority of Democrats who responded—58%—said they would rather have another candidate be their presidential nominee. 

According to the poll, Biden’s supporters are worried about the President’s age and acuity. Around 26% of respondents believe that the president, who is currently 80 years old, is too old to run for office again. If elected, the president would be 86 by the end of his second term. 

Additionally, only 32% of respondents believed that Biden has “the mental sharpness it takes to effectively serve as president,” while 63 percent said they did not. Among the group that responded negatively, 94% were Republicans, 69% were independents, and 21% were Democrats. 

The poll also found that Biden is lagging behind the front-runner for the GOP nominee, Donald Trump. If Biden were to run against the former president in the 2024 presidential elections, 44% of respondents said they would vote for Trump.

Biden also fell behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis if they were to face each other in a head-to-head matchup, with DeSantis receiving 42% of the votes and Biden receiving 37%.  

Biden announced his reelection campaign for the 2024 presidential elections at the end of last month, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job.” Biden does not face a serious Democratic challenger, paving a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination. 

The poll was conducted by phone, surveying 1,0006 adults from across the country from April 28 to May 3. Out of the respondents, 900 were registered voters—396 said they were Democrats and 438 said they were Republican.