Donald Trump continues to maintain a lead in the polls over President Joe Biden as the election campaign progresses, according to a new CNN poll by SSRS. According to the data, views of each candidate’s first term now appear to work in Trump’s favor, with a majority of Americans saying that, looking back, Trump’s term as president was a success, while large majorities say that Biden’s been a failure so far.
Joe BidenPhoto: Bonnie Cash – Pool via CNP / INSTAR Images / Profimedia
Support for Trump among registered voters is holding steady at 49 percent in a matchup with Biden, the same as CNN’s last national poll of the January election. Joe Biden is rated at 43%, down from 45% recorded three months ago.
Looking back, 55 percent of Americans now say they see Trump’s presidency as a success, while 44 percent see it as a failure. In a January 2021 poll, conducted just before Trump ended his term and days after the January 6 riots at the Capitol, 55% considered his term as president a failure.
As for Biden, 61 percent say his presidency so far has been a failure, while 39 percent say it has been a success. The percentage represents an involution from January 2022, after the first year in office, when 57% considered his first year a failure and 41% a success.
Republicans are now more united around the idea that Trump’s presidency has been a success than Democrats are about Biden. Overall, 92% of Republicans think Trump’s term has been a success, while only 73% of Democrats say Biden’s has been a success so far. Among independents, 51 percent say Trump’s presidency has been successful, while only 37 percent see Biden’s presidency as a success.
There is some overlap in the accomplishments of the two most recent presidents, with 14 percent of Americans saying they see both terms as failures, while 8 percent say they are both successes. About half of registered voters, 47 percent, see Biden’s presidency so far as a failure, although they say Trump’s has been a success, while only 30 percent say Biden’s has been successful and that not Trump’s. Public opinion of former presidents generally rises in retrospect, although no other modern president has attempted a comeback similar to Trump’s after an electoral defeat.
Negative views of the Biden administration have largely persisted throughout his presidency. In the new poll, 60 percent disapprove of how he’s handled the country and 40 percent approve, about the same as CNN polls more than a year ago.
When it comes to the policies of the Biden administration, most scores are negative. 45% approve of how he handled health care policies and 44% approve of his handling of student loan debt. The worst score registered by Biden, of 28% approval, is in the chapter on the management of the war in Gaza, where including Democrats (53%) are dissatisfied with Biden’s actions.
