Biden tanks after debate: Approval at all-time low, Trump doubles his lead

On the day of the head-to-head, the Republican was leading the voting intention by 1.5 points, and a week later the gap has widened to 3.

Trump and Biden during the debate.(Will Lanzoni / CNN via ZUMA Press Wire / Cordon Press)

Published by

Israel Duro

5 de julio, 2024

Joe Biden's abysmal performance in the debate versus Donald Trump last week sent a shockwave through the country that has been quantified in the polls. Beyond the speculation and chatter about a possible withdrawal, the president's approval has plunged to 37.1%, the lowest of his term, while the average margin between the two candidates according to the polls has doubled.

This data emerged from the average between polls in the last week, according to news aggregator Real Clear Politics. Last June 27, Trump had 46.6% support, compared to 45.1% for his rival, a difference of 1.5 points. According to other polling websites, such as ABC's FiveThirtyEight, the difference was even smaller, just 0.2 points. In fact, according to this site, Biden had flipped the predictions between the 20th and 25th of last month.

After the debate, in just one week, the situation has changed significantly in Trump's favor. The Republican candidate has increased the gap to 2.9 points, doubling the prior margin. However, turning to 538, the picture is even more bleak for the Democrats. The gap has not doubled, but multiplied by more than 1000%, to 2.3 points difference.

Kennedy, the other beneficiary of Biden's KO

While Trump benefited most, increasing his advantage by two points excluding third-party candidates, he is not the only one. Independent candidate Robert Kennedy has gained two points in his race for the White House this week, according to Real Clear Politics, going from 7.2% on debate day to 9.6% at the time this article was published. The remaining candidates (Cornel West and Jill West) have hardly moved.

Biden hits all-time low approval

In addition, Biden's approval rating has reached an all-time low, according to 538. Until now, the worst mark for the president had been 37.4%, but he has now sunk to 37.1%. He is not, however, the lowest-rated executive leader at this point in his term. The dubious honor goes to Jimmy Carter, who registered 33.9%. George H.W. Bush (36.7%) also registered a lower rating. However, Biden has time and possibilities to drop down lower than both if there is no radical change from the current situation.