New poll shows Biden and Trump tied in 2024 match-up

President’s approval rating is still dismal

A new poll from The Wall Street Journal shows that President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are statistically tied in a hypothetical 2024 rematch.

The new poll surveyed 1,500 known registered voters between March 2 and 7 with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. When asked who they would choose in 2024 election, Mr Biden and Mr Trump earned 45 per cent of voters each, with 9 per cent saying they were undecided.

The poll showed that 42 per cent of voters approve of Mr Biden, which is statistically the same as a WSJ poll from December, with 57 per cent of voters disapproving of his job performance. That is lower than the 51 per cent disapproval rating Mr Trump had when voters were asked about the job he did.

Inflation and the economy remain at the top of voters minds, with 50 per cent saying it is the most important issue for the president and Congress to address. By contrast, only 25 per cent of voters think Russia’s war against Ukraine is the most important issue. Only 5 per cent think the coronavirus pandemic is the most important issue.

Voters also don’t have a high opinion of Mr Biden’s performance on inflation and housing costs, as only 34 per cent approve of how he is handling them. The survey comes out a day after the Bureau of Labour Statistics announced on Thursday that inflation had hit a 40-year high and consumer prices had jumped 7.9 per cent in a year.

But voters are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the economy, with 65 per cent saying the economy is heading in the wrong direction and 60 per cent of voters having a negative sentiment about the strength of the US economy.

Voters are also more likely to vote for Republicans in the midterm election, with 46 per cent of voters saying they would either likely or definitely vote for a GOP candidate for Congress, compared to 41 per cent who said they would definitely vote for a Democrat in a Congressional election.