Trump Surprises with Poll Surge, Biden Struggles

Despite public opinion that the U.S. economic situation is improving, President Joe Biden's approval rating has not escaped a sluggish trend. On the other hand, former President Donald Trump showed a surprising rebound in support despite facing his fourth indictment after leaving office and the ignominious distinction of being the only current or former U.S. president to have a mugshot taken.

A poll released on the 11th (local time) by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) showed that 66% of respondents with Democratic leanings evaluated the current U.S. economic situation positively. Among moderate respondents, 36% shared the same view. These figures represent an increase of 9 percentage points each compared to December of last year. Among Republican-leaning respondents, 8% viewed the economy positively, unchanged from the previous survey.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The U.S. is calming the worst inflation in over 40 years while recession forecasts are easing. The inflation rate, which surged to 9.1% in June last year, dropped to 3.2% in July. The current U.S. unemployment rate stands at 3.6%, one of the lowest levels ever recorded.

Despite the economic improvements touted by President Biden as his greatest achievement, his approval rating is struggling. Although President Biden highlights accomplishments in the economy such as job growth since taking office, 58% of respondents gave a negative assessment, saying the U.S. economy has worsened over the past two years. Only 28% believed the economy had improved during that period.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with President Biden’s performance, while only 42% gave a positive evaluation. Democratic election strategist Michael Boshyan analyzed, "Voters’ evaluations of the economy have clearly improved, but negative views about the extent and direction of economic improvement remain," adding, "It seems the sense of unease has not been resolved."

Worsening public opinion toward elderly politicians and health concerns also contributed to the decline in President Biden’s approval rating. Public sentiment toward elderly politicians sharply deteriorated following an incident where 81-year-old veteran politician Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell froze and was unable to respond for 30 seconds during a press conference. WSJ pointed out, "Despite the achievements of 'Bidenomics,' voters are reluctant to vote for Biden," and noted, "The low approval rating of a president who achieved economic growth during his term shows how fragile his political standing is."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, former President Trump’s approval rating has made a surprising turnaround despite being surrounded by various judicial risks. Earlier this year, he was trailing in hypothetical matchups against President Biden, but recent polls tell a different story. In a poll released last week by CNN, Trump’s approval rating was 47%, slightly ahead of Biden’s 46%.

In a poll conducted on the 29th of last month by political media outlet The Hill and Morning Consult, 62% of Republican respondents supported former President Trump. This represents a 9 percentage point increase from the 53% approval rating recorded in a poll conducted on the 20th of last month, matching the highest level seen in April. He widened the gap with second-place Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, who stood at 13%, by 49 percentage points.

This poll result came shortly after former President Trump, who was criminally indicted on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, appeared before the Georgia prosecutor and became the first current or former U.S. president to have a mugshot taken.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.