Poll: Trump, Biden Popularity Basically Even

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are assured the Republican and Democrat nominations for president, but have another thing in common — low favorability ratings.

Trump is shown to have 29% favorable rating compared to a 59% unfavorable rating, while Biden has a 33% favorable rating and 54% unfavorable rating.

That’s according to an ABC News/Ipsos survey of 536 U.S. adults, Newsweek reported. The poll was conducted between March 8-9.

Trump currently has 1,075 delegates; he needs 1,215 delegates to secure the Republican nomination. He is currently unopposed after his last remaining opponent — former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley — left the race.

The former president has maintained around a 30% favorability rating since last year, Newsweek reported. The margin of error in the poll is 4.5%.

His rating lowered to 25% in April 2023 after he was indicted on criminal charges, per Newsweek. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

However, not all is rosy for Biden.

Time is against Biden, 81, as he is the oldest serving president in the country’s history. That coupled with a question about his “mental acuity” have made him a target, Newsweek reported.

“If re-elected, he would be 86 by the end of his second term,” Newsweek reported. “But the president has brushed off queries about his physical and mental health, telling a news conference in February that his ‘memory is fine’ and ‘I know what the hell I’m doing.’”

Trump, at 77, is also viewed by half of U.S adults as too old to be president. His mental agility has also been questioned, Newsweek said.

Biden’s policies regarding undocumented immigration and the war between Hamas and Israel have been heavily criticized, the outlet reported.

In the end, “neither candidate is viewed as more popular than unpopular, recent polling has consistently shown, with more people disapproving of both than approving,” Newsweek reported. “Analysts have said that both will struggle to entice voters to turn out for the election due to their disenchantment with the choice of candidates.”