Maybe President Joe Biden should have spent more time on vacation.
With less than two weeks remaining in his presidency, the public and the pollsters are turning their attention to the legacy of the 46th president, and the reviews aren’t good.
Gallup rated Biden’s presidency on Tuesday similarly to that of former President Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace during the Watergate scandal.
Rasmussen Reports brushed Biden off as “one of the worst presidents ever.”
Both noted it is not just partisans who are dismissing his presidency, but Democrats are joining in, too, telling Gallup that, at best, Biden will be viewed as just an average Joe.
The Rasmussen Reports survey focused on Biden’s job in office and how he will be remembered.
A majority saw little good about the Biden presidency, with 54% of likely voters telling the pollster, “Since Biden became president, he has not enacted any policy that made their life better.”
And 48% of all likely voters said he would be remembered as one of America’s “worst” presidents, more than double the 21% who said they think he will end up in the “best” category.
Gallup also looked at Biden’s likely legacy and compared it to recent presidents. On its list, former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan ranked best, with Nixon worst.
But on their list, Biden was put just a smidge above Nixon.
“Biden rates most similarly to Richard Nixon, who has a -42 net rating (12% outstanding or above average versus 54% below average or poor). Biden receives more ‘poor’ reviews than Nixon does (37% vs. 30%), but Biden gets more outstanding or above-average ratings,” Gallup said.
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As it typically does, Gallup tried to put a positive spin on its harsh review of Biden in its “bottom line” section of the poll.
But in this case, it was a weak effort when it said: “Americans do not expect history to be kind when it judges Biden’s presidency. Right now, he is evaluated similarly to Nixon, who resigned from the White House amid the Watergate scandal. Biden’s fellow Democrats are less enthusiastic about his presidency than they are about other recent Democratic presidents, and Biden is the only recent Democratic president who currently has a net-negative evaluation among independents. However, past presidents who finished challenging terms, including Carter, George W. Bush, and Trump, have seen the harsh ratings they received at the time they left the White House soften considerably over time.”
