Two major polls conducted over the last two weeks show that the president’s approval rating has fallen, while analysis from poll tracker FiveThirtyEight shows a decline in Biden’s approval over the past month.
That decline comes at the worst possible time for the president as Democrats battle to retain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, with polls showing positive signs for Republicans’ chances of taking both chambers.
A Gallup poll conducted from October 3 to 20 found that Biden’s approval rating stood at 40 percent, while 56 percent of U.S. adults disapproved of the president.
Those figures represent a notable decline in Biden’s approval since Gallup’s August poll, which found that the president enjoyed a high of 44 percent approval and 53 percent disapproval.
In Gallup’s September poll, Biden had 42 percent approval and 56 percent disapproval.
The most recent Gallup poll was conducted among 1,009 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
It was a similar picture in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from October 24 to 25 which found Biden’s approval rating was 39 percent—a decline of one percentage point on the previous week when the president had a 40 percent approval rating.
Three previous Ipsos polls in October showed Biden with 40 percent. The most recent Reuters/Ipsos survey was conducted among 1,005 adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.
FiveThirtyEight’s analysis also shows that Biden’s approval rating has declined over the past month after making a recovery in the third quarter of 2022.
The president’s approval rating stood at 41.7 percent as of October 25, according to FiveThirtyEight, while 53.7 percent of Americans disapproved of Biden.
On September 25, Biden had an approval rating of 42.8 percent and 53 percent of Americans disapproved of the job he was doing. Despite recent declines, Biden’s approval rating has improved considerably in recent months as it stood at just 37.9 percent on July 24, when 56.9 percent of Americans disapproved of him.
On Monday, Biden’s approval rating was lower than former President Donald Trump’s approval at the same stage during the 2018 midterm elections when Democrats took control of the House and Republicans retained the Senate.
Republicans are widely expected to take the House in this year’s midterm elections, while polls suggest the Senate is a toss-up, with FiveThirtyEight rating the race for the upper chamber as a “dead heat.”
The president’s personal popularity may be only one factor in voters’ decisions this November but a decline in Biden’s approval rating will not be welcome news for Democrats.
Newsweek has asked the White House for comment.
