A new poll gives President Biden and Democrats cause for concern just as his reelection campaign officially gets going. Biden's job approval rating has fallen to 36% after standing at 42% in February, the Washington Post-ABC News poll found; his previous low was 37% early last year. The president's disapproval rating now is 56%, with 47% expressing strong disapproval. Although the economy was in bad shape because of the pandemic when Biden took office, more respondents consider former President Donald Trump to be better at handling the economy, 54% to 36%, per the Post. Possibly most worrying to Democrats, Biden is about 4 points down in a head-to-head matchup against Trump.
It's not all roses for Trump. The poll found majorities saying he should face criminal charges over the attack on the Capitol, efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, and his handling of classified documents after leaving office. Although Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn't entered the race, Trump has about twice as much support at this point. Respondents don't find Biden or Trump especially honest or trustworthy, but the president comes out ahead on those measures.
At least one Democratic pro was alarmed by the poll results, including Biden's loss of support among particular groups, per the Hill. "It's sobering in the sense that the coalition that elected Joe Biden, with the historic numbers that we saw in 2020, that coalition right now is fragmented," party strategist Donna Brazile said on ABC's This Week. She said she sent the poll findings to Democrats at her first opportunity—12:02am Sunday. "It kept me up and I thought they should wake up and look at those numbers," Brazile said. (More approval ratings stories.)
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