A new Gallup poll shows President Joe Biden slipping in a few key areas — while former President Donald Trump holds steady or even improves on most of the same issues — as the 2024 election continues to edge closer.
The poll, essentially a repetition of one that was done in 2020, compared the way that voters saw Biden and Trump four years ago to the way they see the two candidates — who are gearing up for a rematch — now.
According to Gallup, the biggest takeaway is tough on Biden: “Americans are less likely now than they were in 2020 to believe a number of positive personal qualities and characteristics apply to President Joe Biden.”
“The biggest decline has come in the percentage believing Biden is able to manage government effectively, but his scores are down at least six percentage points on each characteristic,” the outlet noted.
And by contrast: “Over the same period, public impressions of Donald Trump haven’t changed to a statically significant degree.”
Americans are less likely now than they were in 2020 to believe a number of positive personal qualities and characteristics apply to President Joe Biden.
The biggest decline has come in the percentage believing Biden is able to manage government effectively, but his scores are… pic.twitter.com/CFSaTfcskc
— GallupNews (@GallupNews) April 8, 2024
Biden still ranks higher than Trump when it comes to likability — 57% say the current president is “likable” compared to 37% who say the same about Trump. He also holds the upper hand on the question of “being honest and trustworthy” — 46% say the candidate who espouses those characteristics is Biden, 35% say Trump.
But when the topic turns to the candidate’s ability to lead effectively, Biden has lost ground on nearly every metric.
- Can manage the government effectively: 52% said Biden in 2020, just 39% said Biden in 2024; 48% said Trump in 2020, 49% sided with Trump in 2024.
- Displays good judgment in a crisis: Biden slipped from 49% in 2020 to 40% in 2024; Trump moved up on point from 44% in 2020 to 45% in 2024.
- Is a strong and decisive leader: Biden again lost ground, falling from 46% in 2020 to 38% in 2024; Trump gained one percentage point, going from 56% in 2020 t0 57% in 2024.
The overall assessment, according to Gallup, was that the playing field was likely to level off some in 2024 because Biden appears to have lost at least some of the advantage he had in 2020 when it came to the voters’ view of his “personal qualities.”