\n<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s poll numbers are in the toilet. He is struggling to stay alert during key events. An overseas conflict is dampening enthusiasm among his base. Voters are furious about rising inflation.<\/p>\n
That was the narrative around former President Joe Biden when he exited the presidential race in mid-2024. And every sentence applies now to President Donald Trump, whose recent polling is as bad as Biden\u2019s was when he threw in the towel \u2014\u00a0or in some cases worse. But the two presidents\u2019 reactions \u2014\u00a0and that of their parties \u2014\u00a0could not be more different.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s Economist\/YouGov poll<\/a>, just by itself, made for rough reading for the White House: 36% approval versus 58% disapproval, for a net approval rating of -22%. <\/p>\n Prices are rising faster than wages for the first time in three years.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Believe it or not, however, those are not Trump\u2019s worst approval, disapproval or net numbers. What\u2019s different is the consistency. \u201cIn the past, bad numbers one week often have been offset by less-bad numbers in the next poll,\u201d YouGov\u2019s David Montgomery wrote<\/a>. \u201cNow, the share of Americans who approve of Trump\u2019s job handling has been under 40% for two straight months, and his net approval has been -22 for three straight weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n The lowest three-week average for Biden? -21.8. \u00a0<\/p>\n Similarly, polling averages from The New York Times<\/a> and Nate Silver<\/a> placed Trump\u2019s net approval at -20 and -19.6, respectively. Both numbers are below Biden\u2019s standing when he dropped out of the 2024 race (and below anything from Trump\u2019s first term).<\/p>\n The reasons for Biden\u2019s and Trump\u2019s polling struggles overlap to a remarkable extent. Both learned in real time that the presidency is an even more difficult job when you\u2019re entering your ninth decade on earth. Biden mixed up names<\/a>; Trump appears to nod off<\/a> during meetings. Both have been hurt by wars overseas \u2014 in Biden\u2019s case, first the Afghanistan withdrawal (the right call, but poorly executed) and later his support for Israel\u2019s conduct in the Gaza Strip. In Trump\u2019s case, the war with Iran has tuned into an entirely predictable disaster that he seems unable to walk away from.<\/p>\n\n