President Biden faces headwinds as he mounts his reelection bid, with approval ratings slumping below 40% and concerns about inflation and his mental acuity, according to new polling.
The Washington Post-ABC News survey says Mr. Biden’s approval rate has slid from 42% in February to 36%. Notably, he is underwater among key groups, including a 26% approval rating among Americans younger than 30 and 42% of non-White adults.
More than 6 in 10 voters (63%) say Mr. Biden, 80, does not have the mental sharpness to serve effectively in the White House, an increase from 43% in 2020 and 54% last year, the survey found.
Also, 62% say his physical health is insufficient to serve effectively.
By contrast, a little more than half (54%) say former President Donald Trump, 76, is mentally sharp enough to serve in the White House, and 64% say he is in good enough physical shape.
Voters also say Mr. Trump did a better job handling the economy than Mr. Biden, 54% to 36%.
Mr. Biden entered office facing an economy battered by the pandemic. While the nation has seen job growth under his presidency, rising costs have been a constant thorn and there are worries that Federal Reserve actions to cool inflation will tip the economy into a recession.
Mr. Trump, who leads the emerging Republican primary field in early polling, fares worse than Mr. Biden when it comes to voters’ views on honesty.
A third say Mr. Trump, who often repeats unsubstantiated claims the 2020 election was stolen from him, is honest and trustworthy, while 63% say he is not. Meanwhile, 41% say Mr. Biden is honest and trustworthy, while 54% say he is not.
Mr. Biden is running behind key GOP candidates in hypothetical matchups, though a large share of voters are undecided, the survey found.
The survey says 44% of adult voters would “definitely” or “probably” vote for Mr. Trump, while 38% would definitely or probably vote for Mr. Biden. The remaining 18% are undecided or provided a different answer.
If Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were the GOP nominee, 42% of voters say they would definitely or probably vote for him, while 37% would support Mr. Biden and 21% are undecided or chose to answer differently.
The survey was conducted April 28-May 3 among more than 1,000 U.S. adults. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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