Most people, when they wear out their welcome, eventually pick up on the hint. Joe Biden and Jill Biden are not most people. While the rest of the country has made its feelings about the Biden era abundantly clear, this couple keeps showing up, keeps grabbing microphones, and keeps demanding attention that nobody asked for.
The numbers CNN's chief data analyst laid out this week tell a brutal story about a failed presidency and raise a harder question: how much longer can the Democrat Party afford to stay tethered to his legacy?
CNN anchor John Berman brought in chief data analyst Harry Enten to break down just how toxic the Biden brand has become, and the data didn't pull any punches.
"The American people have one message for the Bidens," Enten said. "That is, go away. Go away."
He continued, “In January of 2025, it was minus 22 points. Has it gone any better now? No, not really. He's still way underwater here at minus 19 points. He's 28 points underwater with independents.”
Enten put Biden's standing in historical context, and the comparison is devastating. Barack Obama left office 31 points above water in net favorability at a comparable point post-presidency. Even Jimmy Carter, who had a similarly disastrous presidency to Joe Biden’s, came in at plus 22. Bill Clinton, despite carrying serious personal baggage out of the White House, landed at just negative three, essentially breaking even with the American public.
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Yet, Joe Biden clocks in at minus 19. The worst of any former Democrat president Enten could find going back through 50 years of data. When your post-presidential standing is worse than Jimmy Carter’s, you’ve got a huge problem.
"Joe Biden ended his term as president quite unpopular, and he remains quite unpopular," Enten said. "He is an anchor to the Democratic Party and potentially their fortunes in the 2026 midterm elections."
That word, anchor, is exactly right.
Biden's stubborn refusal to remain a presence in American public life is a huge drag on the Democrat Party. This makes the timing of Jill Biden's book tour even more puzzling for a party trying to chart a path forward.
And even Jill Biden’s numbers aren’t great.
Jill Biden finished her time in the White House just two points above water in net favorability. Michelle Obama clocked in at plus 43 for some reason. Even Hillary Clinton, with her and Bill’s baggage, was plus13. Jill Biden's numbers represent the lowest finish for a Democrat first lady on record.
So there you have it: both halves of this couple now hold the bottom spots in the Democrat Party's post-presidential legacy among voters. The more they stay in the spotlight, the worse it is for the party. And as bad as the timing of Jill’s memoir is, Joe’s is even worse. Joe said this week that his book comes out in September, two months before the midterm elections.
Americans have one message for the Bidens: Go away.
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) June 4, 2026
Joe Biden left office tremendously unpopular & remains so (-19 pt net favorable).
He's by far the least popular of any former Dem prez at this point after their presidency.
Jill Biden was the least popular Dem first lady. pic.twitter.com/gpJK8bzM1D
Democrats can’t be happy about Ol’ Joe starting a book tour in the final weeks before Americans go to the polls. The Bidens are political poison for the party, and no fictionalized accounts of their time in the White House will change what people think and remember from the Biden years. The American people delivered their verdict on Joe Biden before he ever left office. Joe Biden’s desperate attempt to restore his legacy may come at a huge price that the Democrat Party will have to pay.
