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A high-profile gathering featuring President Joe Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton is set for March under the banner of a fundraiser in New York. The news of this planned event came about through a thread of social media interactions, though a venue is yet to be confirmed. The date of this significant event is slated for March 28, as documented by the Associated Press. With a hint of humor, Clinton queried, ‘Who else will be in attendance?’ This was soon met with a lighthearted reply from Biden, ‘A phone call could have easily done the job next time around.’
A day prior to Biden’s trip to the city known for its towering skyscrapers, details about the upcoming event surfaced. Recent times have seen a surge in the president’s fundraising activities. Indeed, the fundraising metrics for his campaign relay a record-setting trajectory, with January’s total donations surpassing any since the campaign’s origin in April 2023. This recent peak broke prior records set in November and December.
Despite these victories, an NBC poll delivers grim tidings for the president’s re-election bid. The poll findings project an approval rating of merely 37 percent, propelling one Democratic pollster to declare this troubled state of affairs as ‘a presidency in turmoil.’ The statistics place ex-President Donald Trump ahead of Biden by 5 percentage points (47%-42%) at a national level.
The criteria upon which Trump outperforms Biden are notable: a 23-point lead on perceived mental and physical fitness for presidential duties (46%-23%), a 22-point advantage on economic management (55%-33%), a 21-point lead on addressing crime and violence (50%-29%), a 16-point lead on the scale of competence and effectiveness (48%-32%), and an 11-point lead in the area of enhancing America’s global standing (47%-36%).
The surging crisis related to illegal immigration continues to be top of mind for the majority of GOP primary voters, according to the report. Democrats are also displaying disappointment with current immigration policies which commingle leniency with increased migrant arrivals in major cities all over the country.
Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates noted to NBC News the shocking difference in Biden’s performance against Trump now as compared to four years ago. He highlighted that ‘across every metric, Biden’s performance is in decline compared to 2020.’ Perhaps most troubling, Horwitt pointed out, is the loss of belief in Biden’s capability to continue to perform presidential duties—the fundamental pillar of his candidacy.
The current landscape presents an advantageous outlook for Trump and a challenging one for the incumbent as they navigate the core phase of the 2024 primary season. Expressing this sentiment, Republican pollster Bill McInturff from Public Opinion Strategies commented, ‘It’s hard to envision this being more challenging from a re-election perspective.’
An overwhelming 73% of registered voters are of the belief that the country is heading down the wrong path under Biden’s presidency. However, a glass-half-full perspective for the current administration is that there’s still ample time available to reverse this narrative. As Horwitt optimistically commented, ‘Thankfully for Biden this is January and not October 2024.’
Those rooting for Biden may find their last vestiges of hope tied to a possible legal conviction for Trump, who faces four indictments. In the hypothetical situation in which Trump is declared guilty of a felony, Biden ekes out a slight 2-point lead against Trump. However, this edge is well within the statistical margin of error, suggesting a very competitive race.
Across varied issues, pollsters discern a rising trajectory of support for Trump. On border enforcement, Trump has amplified his lead from 16 points in September 2020 to a commanding 35 points in January 2024. Likewise, when it comes to economic stewardship, Trump has augmented his 7-point lead in October 2020 to a robust 22 points today.
Tackling crime and violence reveals a marked improvement for Trump, flipping a 4-point deficit during the 2020 turmoil into a 21-point advantage at the present time—truly a 25-point pendulum shift. In terms of demonstrated competence and efficacy, the former leader has managed to turn a 9-point shortfall in June 2020 into an impressive 16-point lead.
The voters’ confidence in Trump’s physical and mental suitability for the presidency similarly shows a remarkable turn. Following his bout with COVID-19 in October 2020, when he was trailing by 1 point, Trump now leads by a striking 23 points. These evolving patterns confirm Biden’s weakening foothold among the typically democatically-biased younger voters—an aspect known to pollsters and political observers.
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