Fewer Americans think President Biden is competent at his job than they did four years ago — though the incumbent is still thought more likable, caring and honest than Donald Trump, according to a recent poll.
The Gallup survey, released last week, found that fewer than half of all Americans think Biden, 81, can manage the government effectively (39%), cares about people like them (48%) and is honest and trustworthy (46%).
By contrast, in September 2020, the same outlet found 52% thought Biden could manage the government, 55% thought he cared about people like them, and 52% thought he was honest and trustworthy.
When asked about Trump, meanwhile, 49% said they thought the 77-year-old could manage government effectively, up slightly from 48% who said the same in September 2020.
In addition to the management question, the 45th president has the edge over his successor when Americans are asked who they consider a “strong and decisive leader” (57% Trump, 38% Biden), and who shows “good judgement in a crisis” (45% Trump, 40% Biden).
On the other hand, 57% of respondents described Biden as “likable” compared to 37% who said the same of Trump. Biden also beat Trump on the question of which man “cares about the needs of people like you,” (48% Biden, 42% Trump) and is “honest and trustworthy” (46% Biden, 35% Trump).
Predictably, voters were split along party lines when asked to assess each candidate.
For example, 81% of Democrats, 34% of Independents, and 8% of Republicans felt that Biden could manage the government effectively.
When asked about Trump, 14% of Democrats, 44% of Independents, and 89% of Republicans contended that Trump can manage the government effectively.
Just over a quarter of self-identified Republicans (26%) described Biden as “likable,” while 18% of Democrats described Trump as “a strong and decisive leader” and “intelligent” — the highest cross-party ratings for each man.
Overall, Biden has seen his favorability rating dip to 41%, down eight percentage points from the end of the 2020 campaign. Trump’s current 42% favorability is down three percentage points from November 2020.
Gallup’s survey was taken between March 1 and 20 among 1,016 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The Nov. 5 election is shaping up to be a historically rare contest in which a president faces off against a former president.
The last time that took place was in 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt ran a third party challenge to Republican incumbent William Howard Taft. The election was won by Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
The last time two candidates met in a rematch of the previous election was 1956, when Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower bested Democrat Adlai Stevenson for a second time.
Trump, meanwhile, is trying to be only the second president elected to non-consecutive terms, joining Democrat Grover Cleveland in 1884 and 1892.
At the moment, Trump and Biden are running neck and neck against each other, with the 45th president nabbing a 0.3 percentage-point edge in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of national polls.
Trump is also up on Biden in six of the top seven battleground states in the RCP average, only trailing slightly in Pennsylvania.