All presidents consider their legacies and want to make their mark on history, and Joe Biden is no different. As soon as he took office, he sought to establish himself as a historically consequential president, nominating the first of some supposedly disadvantaged demographics to particular positions. He vowed to name a woman as his running mate and a black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. When it came to filling various positions in his administration, if you were an indigenous transgender lesbian married to a tree, you probably had a great shot of getting nominated for something.
He also routinely insists that he’s got the greatest record of job creation of any president—a claim that’s been repeatedly debunked by even liberal fact-checkers.
But I digress. Biden’s efforts to establish himself as a historic president may fall on deaf ears, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t become historic, even if it’s not for a good reason.
On Friday, the final Gallup poll of 2023 shows that Biden has the lowest job approval of any modern president at the same point in their presidency while seeking reelection.
President Joe Biden’s job approval rating is 39%, marking a slight improvement from the 37% low points in October and November but the fifth time his rating is below 40% in 2023.
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Looking at the approval ratings of the past seven presidents at the same point in their first term in office, Biden’s current 39% is the lowest. Barack Obama (43%) and Donald Trump (45%) had slightly higher ratings heading into the year they sought reelection, while all of the others were above 50%.
Job approval ratings of Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush were 51%, and Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter stood at 54%. Buoyed by the mid-December capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003, George W. Bush had the highest approval rating of the eight presidents (58%).
The economy appears to be the most significant factor in his approval ratings.
This month, about four in five U.S. adults rate current economic conditions in the country as only fair (33%) or poor (45%), with few describing conditions as excellent (3%) or good (19%). Furthermore, 68% of Americans say the economy is getting worse, 28% say it is improving, and 4% think it is staying the same.
"Biden enters 2024 with a persistently low job approval rating, the worst of any modern-day president heading into a tough reelection campaign,” writes Megan Brennan of Gallup. "While the economy has shown signs of improvement and Americans are a bit more optimistic about it, it remains a pressing concern. In addition to dealing with the national economy and overseeing the United States’ role in wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Biden continues to face a crisis at the southern U.S. border. Given Republicans’ concern about the issue, Biden can expect immigration to be a central theme in the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign in 2024.”
Related: Cook Political Reports Shift Two States to 'Toss Up' Amid Biden's Weak Polling
Let’s put it another way: Joe Biden is the most unpopular president in modern history, and Kamala Harris is the most unpopular vice president in modern history.
Some Democrat insiders have thought that if Biden were to ditch Kamala Harris it might help his campaign, but considering his historically low popularity, it’s hard to see how anyone could help his campaign.
But, in any case, congratulations, Joe Biden, on this historic accomplishment!
