President Joe Biden's departure from the White House marks a historic moment in American political polling history.
According to The Daily Caller, CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten revealed that Biden's final approval rating of 38% stands as the lowest recorded percentage for any president who did not seek or win reelection.
The president's ratings have plummeted below his predecessor, Donald Trump's exit numbers, presenting a stark contrast to the political landscape of 2021.
Biden's current approval rating sits one percentage point lower than Trump's final numbers when he left office four years ago while significantly trailing behind former presidents Jimmy Carter's 44% and George H.W. Bush's 56%.
CNN's Harry Enten emphasized the significance of these numbers during a Sunday segment, stating:
Look at how low Joe Biden is, my goodness gracious, you can't really get lower than 25% in our polarized era because the bottomline is this, there's gonna be a bunch of Democrats who would say that Biden is a good or great president no matter what he did, yet it's only a quarter of the country who believes that Joe Biden was a good or great president.
Recent polling data shows a mere quarter of Americans consider Biden to be a "good" or "great president," falling significantly short compared to Trump's 36% and Obama's 52% at the end of their respective first terms. The AP/NORC poll reveals these numbers as the lowest since they began tracking presidential ratings during Barack Obama's second term.
Trump's approval ratings have experienced a remarkable upswing, climbing from 38% to 47% since January 2021. This represents his highest average rating to date, with 56% of Americans expressing optimism about his upcoming presidential term.
The 46th president's approval ratings experienced several significant dips throughout his term, averaging 42% overall, according to Gallup data. His highest approval rating of 57% was recorded during his early days in office, from January 21 to February 2, 2021, and again in April 2021.
A major turning point came during the Afghanistan withdrawal crisis in August 2021, when 13 U.S. service members lost their lives in a suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport. This event marked the beginning of a sustained decline in public approval.
Economic challenges and immigration issues have played crucial roles in shaping public opinion. Despite inflation dropping below 3% in July for the first time in over two years, voters consistently showed more confidence in Trump's ability to handle both the economy and immigration compared to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harry Enten summarized the ironic twist in Biden's presidency with these words:
So the bottomline is this, Joe Biden came in to end the Donald Trump reign in this country, end Donald Trump's political career. And all that's ended up happening is Joe Biden has managed to end up at a lower approval rating at the end of his first term than any president on record.
Biden's unprecedented low approval ratings reflect a significant shift in American public opinion since his inauguration in 2021. His final 38% approval rating, combined with Trump's rising popularity, suggests a dramatic reversal of political fortunes as the nation prepares for another transition of power.
After a 50-plus year political career, Joe Biden concludes his presidency with historically low approval numbers, while his successor and predecessor, Donald Trump, enters office with growing public support and the highest approval ratings of his political career. These developments marked a significant turning point in American political history and set the stage for the incoming administration.
