Biden Leaving Office With Dismal Approval Rating — But It’s Still Better Than Trump’s
A CNN poll released on Wednesday, and conducted by SSRS, found Biden with an approval rating of 36% just days before he leaves office. By comparison, Trump had a 34% approval rating when leaving office in Jan. 2021.
Biden’s best approval ratings came under protecting American democracy (46%), environmental policy (44%), and healthcare (44%). He had less than 40% approval on issues such as immigration (31%), foreign policy (32%), and the economy (33%). Biden’s favorability rating overall matches a low in CNN data in July 2023. Biden’s approval rating puts him below former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and others when they left office.
Biden fared much better with Democrats with 71% saying they approve of the president’s job performance. Among independents, 31% agreed with that assessment, and just 8% of Republicans approve.
Vice President Kamala Harris fared slightly better than Biden with 39% overall holding a favorable view of her following her loss to Trump in the presidential race.
The survey found just 38% view Biden’s time in office as a success with 61% saying they see it as a failure. According to the results, 29% believe the country is headed in the right direction while 71% feel it is not. CNN noted that data showed never more than 39% felt the country was headed in a good direction under Biden.
CNN’s poll was conducted by SSRS among 1,205 adults nationwide between Jan. 9-12 via telephone or online surveys. The data holds a margin of error of 3.2%.
