Joe Biden’s approval rating has dipped below 50%, according to a new Trafalgar Group poll with 48.3% approving of his job performance and 47.5% disapproving.
The number is a dip from the previous month when a Gallup poll showed the president with a 57% approval rating.
According to Rasmussen’s daily Approval Index History, that compares to around a 43% approval for former President Donald Trump in the same period in his presidency and 57% for former President Barack Obama.
The president’s drop in recent weeks comes as he continues to grapple with the pandemic, an immigrant surge at the southern border, a weak jobs report, flaring violence in the Mideast and more.
The Trafalgar poll also found that 57.4% of Democratic primary voters said they were either very or somewhat likely to vote for Biden if he were on the party’s primary ballot in 2024 for reelection. Another 7.9% said they would “consider” voting for him.
When asked about their preferences if Biden were not running, Vice President Kamala Harris was their overwhelming choice at 41.3%. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was second at 9.3%, followed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at 8%. All others were in low single digits.
On the Republican side, 61.5% of voters said they would “absolutely” or “likely” vote for former President Donald Trump in that party’s primary if he is on the ballot. Another 7.8% said they would “consider” voting for him.
If Trump does not run, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is their favorite at 34.9% among all GOP voters. He’s followed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at 15.3%, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, at 10.3%, and former Vice President Mike Pence at 10%. All others have single digit support.
DeSantis is also the favorite among Republicans who said they are Trump supporters (47.6%), followed by Cruz (20.4%) and Pence (12%.)
Among those who do not support Trump, Romney is by far their favorite at 36.1%. Romney was among the few in Trump’s own party who voted to impeach him, Romney notably in both impeachment trials.
Trump’s former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is second among Trump detractors at 6.9% support. Haley has gone back in forth in her criticism and support of the former president.
Cruz and Pence each received 5.6% backing while DeSantis got 4.2%. Both are ardent supporters of the former president and his policies.
The poll was conducted April 30 to May 6 and talked to 1,571 likely primary or general election voters. The margin of error +/- 2.47% with a confidence of 95%.