Over half of Americans think Biden's presidency was ‘poor’ or ‘below average’: Gallup
More than half of Americans believe that the administration of President Joe Biden will be remembered as “below average” or “poor,” according to a newly released Gallup poll.
In a report released Tuesday, Gallup found that 54% of respondents said history will label Biden’s presidency unfavorably, with 37% labeling it “below average” and 17% labeling it “poor.”
Twenty-six percent of respondents believed that Biden will be regarded as “average,” 13% felt that he will be considered “above average” and 6% thought he will be considered “outstanding.”
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“Compared with nine recent presidents included in the new Gallup poll, Biden rates most similarly to Richard Nixon, who has a -42 net rating (12% outstanding or above average versus 54% below average or poor),” explained Gallup.
“Biden receives more ‘poor’ reviews than Nixon does (37% vs. 30%), but Biden gets more outstanding or above-average ratings.”
Gallup also noted that respondents had rated the presidencies of George W. Bush and Donald Trump as being “more negative than positive,” with Trump receiving a comparable number of “poor” ratings to Nixon.
For its report, Gallup drew from a survey conducted Dec. 2-18, 2024, of a random sample of 1,003 adults living in the U.S., with a margin of sampling error of ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Among 10 former presidents ranked, John F. Kennedy received the highest opinion among respondents, with 70% labeling his presidency as either “outstanding” or “above average.”
Behind Kennedy was Ronald Reagan, with 54% labeling his presidency “outstanding” or “above average,” and in third was Barack Obama, with 48% labeling his presidency “outstanding” or “above average.”
Biden was elected president in November 2020, becoming the second Roman Catholic to assume the office. In January 2021, at age 78, he became the oldest person to be sworn in as commander-in-chief.
Biden garnered controversy for his pro-choice policies after Roe v. Wade was overturned and support for LGBT advocacy, such as requiring public entities to support body-mutilating trans surgeries for minors.
The president also weathered criticism for his handling of his administration's withdrawl from Afghanistan, the ongoing illegal immigration crisis at the U.S. southern border, and inflation with the high cost of everyday goods.
Although Biden had gained enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination for president last year, questions persisted as to whether the then-81-year-old Biden was mentally fit to serve another term following a widely panned debate performance against Trump last July.
Biden posted a statement to his X account announcing that he was dropping out of the race and would instead “focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden went on to install Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor for the Democratic nomination for president. While Harris gained the party's nomination, she lost to Trump in the general election last November.
Last month, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville claimed in a YouTube video that Biden had ruined his legacy when he opted to launch his reelection campaign in the first place.
“The most tragic figure in American politics in my lifetime is President Biden,” Carville declared last month. “It’s all so f---ing self-inflicted. … He knows that he f---ed up.”
