A new poll shows former President Donald Trump ahead of incumbent President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 matchup, the Western Journal reported. The rising cost of everyday necessities and other economic woes seemed to have the greatest impact on respondents.
Biden is still weighing whether he will run again, but Trump, who has already announced his candidacy, is already shaping up to be a formidable opponent. The Washington Post-ABC News poll, conducted Jan. 27-Feb.1, showed that 48% of registered voters would cast their ballots for Trump and only 45% for Biden.
Trump also has strong support among independents, with 50% voting for Trump and only 41% voting for Biden. Overall, the former president has gained five points since the poll was taken in September even after the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago residence over classified documents.
The poll leaned heavily on issues regarding the economy. This is Biden's weakest point considering his administration ushered in record inflation that was the worst since President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s.
Respondents in the poll were asked directly, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Biden is handling the economy?" A staggering 59% of voters reported that they disapproved, and it's likely inflation woes are a large reason why.
It was even worse among independents, with 60% disapproving of the job he's doing. Even 20% of Democrats had to admit they were unhappy with Biden's handling of the issue.
When it came to the question of whether they thought they were doing better under Biden, the answers similarly translated into millions of disgruntled voters. The question posed was, "Would you say you, yourself, are better off financially than you were when Biden became president, not as well off, or in about the same shape financially?"
To that, 41% of respondents said they were "not as well off" with the Democratic president in office. Only 16% thought they were "better off" with Biden in office, which likely means even his own party's voters are disillusioned.
Perhaps this sentiment is what prompted the president to try to change the messaging during his State of the Union address Tuesday. Biden said he would "build an economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down," he claimed, according to the Washington Examiner.
"Because when the middle class does well, the poor have a ladder up, and the wealthy still do very well. We all do well," the president added.
However, Biden failed to mention that policies have actually hit the poor and middle class in America the hardest as prices continue to climb, especially on staples like eggs and butter. Even leftist CBS News reported that families are paying more for these basics than they were under Trump.
The price of eggs has increased by 60%, leading city dwellers to contemplate setting up chicken coups. The cost of butter was up 31% in December, while margarine increased by 44% from the same time last year.
It's no wonder voters are looking for alternatives with Biden making such a mess of things. Democrats hope that national issues like abortion will be enough to push them to victory, but Americans are suffering in their daily lives.
It will be difficult to convince even the staunchest Democrats that Biden deserves to keep his job when average workers can barely afford to put food on their tables. Trump may come with baggage, but Biden has proven to be a disaster to the financial health of the American people.
