Donald Trump is staring down a political buzzsaw — and this time it’s not coming from Democrats. It’s coming from voters who are suddenly looking at his first year back in office and deciding they preferred Joe Biden.
According to Axios, three new national surveys show Trump is bleeding support in ways that should have Republicans sweating bullets ahead of the midterms.
“One year in, Trump has squandered virtually every advantage that won him the presidency. The White House has nine months to turn the ship around before a potential midterm wipeout for Republicans,” Axios reported. Nine months. That’s the clock.
The problem? Even his own voters think Trump is doing a worse job than Biden — the very man Trump has spent years attacking.
“Three national surveys point to the same alarming trend for a president who’s done everything in his power to erase his predecessor’s legacy,” Axios noted.
Let’s break down the numbers.
Harvard CAPS/Harris (Jan. 28–29): 51% of registered voters say Trump is doing a worse job than Biden; 49% say he’s doing better.
Rasmussen Reports (Feb. 2–4): 48% of likely voters say Biden did a better job in office; 40% say Trump has performed better; 8% say both presidents did “about the same.”
YouGov/Economist (Feb. 6–9): 46% of American adults say Trump is doing worse than Biden; 40% say he’s doing better; 7% say it’s “about the same.”
Three polls. Same direction. Same problem.
Axios described it bluntly. Americans see Trump as “so politically toxic” that they now prefer Biden’s leadership. That’s not the comparison Trump wants hanging over him heading into a midterm cycle where turnout and enthusiasm decide everything.
CNN polling analyst Harry Enten drilled down even further — and what he flagged is worse than general approval slippage. Trump’s net approval rating on the economy sits at -18, 26 points lower than where he stood at this point in his first term. Among independents, it’s a staggering 53 points lower.
And then there’s the base.
“If you know anything about Donald Trump, you know that he built his two presidential victories on winning voters [who are] without a college degree,” Enten said. “Well, Donald Trump’s base with non-college voters is absolutely collapsing.”
That’s not a small crack. That’s structural damage. If those voters drift away — even slightly — Republicans don’t just face losses. They face the kind of midterm wipeout that reshapes Congress.
Trump has nine months to reverse the slide. Right now, the numbers say he’s running out of road.
