President Joe Biden continues to face ongoing challenges, including negative job ratings, concerns about his age, and diminished confidence among Democratic-aligned voters, as revealed by a recent CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.
There is no clear frontrunner in a potential rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump, who enjoys a significant lead in the GOP primary. Additionally, nearly half of registered voters (46%) believe that any Republican presidential nominee would be a better choice than Biden in the 2024 election.
However, when examining hypothetical matchups, it becomes evident that Biden faces a competitive field among the major GOP contenders, except for one exception: he trails behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Since announcing his reelection bid earlier this year, Biden’s approval ratings have remained relatively stagnant, hovering below the mid-40s. This is reminiscent of Trump’s standing in 2019 and falls several points below the ratings of Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton at a similar point in their reelection campaigns.
Nevertheless, Biden’s potential opponents also encounter their own set of challenges. Forty-four percent of voters believe that any Democratic candidate would be a better choice than Trump. Both Biden and Trump receive favorability ratings of just 35% among the overall public.
Perceptions of Biden’s performance in office and the state of the country are notably negative in the new poll. Only 39% approve of his job performance, and a significant 58% of respondents believe that his policies have worsened economic conditions in the United States. This marks an increase of 8 percentage points since last autumn. Furthermore, a substantial 70% of those surveyed express a pessimistic view of the nation’s current situation, a sentiment that has persisted throughout much of Biden’s presidency. Additionally, 51% of respondents believe that the government should take more action to address the country’s problems.
Perceptions of President Biden personally are also predominantly unfavorable, with 58% reporting an unfavorable impression of him. Fewer than half, specifically 45%, believe that Biden genuinely cares about people like them. Only 33% describe him as a president they are proud to have in office. Even fewer have confidence in his leadership abilities, with just 28% feeling that he inspires confidence, and 26% believing he possesses the stamina and sharpness required to serve effectively as president. Notably, these declines in confidence are largely driven by Democrats and independents.
Approximately three-quarters of Americans express serious concerns about President Biden’s age potentially negatively affecting his current physical and mental competence (73%), his ability to complete another full term if reelected (76%), and his capacity to understand the concerns of the next generation (68%). These concerns vary slightly among different age groups, with 72% of those under 65 sharing concerns about his ability to understand the next generation’s concerns, compared to 57% of those 65 or older.
Regarding the Democratic electorate, a majority (67%) believes it is very or extremely likely that Biden will be the party’s nominee in the next presidential election. However, an equal percentage (67%) also feels that the party should nominate someone other than Biden, representing an increase from 54% in March but still below the peak of 75% last summer. Interestingly, most of this sentiment is driven by discontent with Biden rather than strong support for an alternative candidate. An overwhelming 82% of those preferring an alternative candidate have no specific individual in mind.
The hesitation surrounding Biden’s candidacy primarily revolves around concerns about his age rather than his job performance. While a significant majority of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters believe that Biden cares about people like them (81%) and approve of his overall job performance (75%), fewer now see him as inspiring confidence (51%) or possessing the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president (49%). These percentages have decreased by 19 and 14 points, respectively, since March.
When asked about their biggest concerns regarding a Biden candidacy in 2024, 49% directly mention his age, while concerns about his mental acuity (7%), health (7%), ability to handle the job (7%), and popularity/electability (6%) are also prevalent. Only 5% of respondents have no concerns.
In terms of a hypothetical rematch between Biden and Trump, registered voters are currently evenly split, with 47% supporting Trump and 46% supporting Biden. Demographic factors continue to play a significant role, with Biden enjoying majority support among voters of color, college graduates, younger voters, and women, while Trump’s majority support comes from White voters, men, and those without a college degree. Independent voters lean towards Biden by 47% to 38%, as do suburban women, with 51% supporting Biden and 44% supporting Trump. Trump maintains significant support among voters who currently disapprove of Biden’s job performance, with 13% in this group indicating they would vote for Biden over Trump.
Finally, nearly 6 in 10 registered voters indicate that their vote in a hypothetical Biden-Trump matchup would
