A Harvard/Harris poll shows 51% of likely voters say Donald Trump is doing a worse job than Joe Biden, while 49% say he is doing better. The survey reports Trump’s approval is nine points lower compared with Biden in the same measure and finds 63% of voters blame the Trump administration for the current state of the economy. Although Trump fares poorly overall, majorities back 15 of 22 of his policies—most notably lowering drug prices (83%) and deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records (73%).
Harvard/Harris Poll: 51% Say Trump Is Doing Worse Than Biden; Approval Falls Nine Points
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images(Chip Somodevilla)
A new Harvard/Harris survey finds a slim majority of likely voters—51%—say President Donald Trump is doing a worse job than his predecessor, Joe Biden, while 49% say he is doing better. The poll, taken roughly one year into Trump’s second term, also shows his job-approval rating trailing Biden’s by nine points in the same measure.
Key Findings
When asked directly whether Trump, 79, was doing "a better or worse job" than Biden, 49% of likely voters answered "better" and 51% said "worse." By comparison, the same Harvard/Harris poll about a year earlier found 58% saying Trump was doing the job better than Biden.
A slight majority of Americans said Trump has done a worse job than Biden as president, a new poll found. / Pool / Getty Images
The survey also asked voters about the economy. Fifty-two percent said the economy was last "good" in pre-pandemic times; 63% placed most of the responsibility for the current state of the economy on the Trump administration, and 53% said the economy is worse now than it was under Biden.
Policy Support
Despite weaker overall ratings, the poll found majorities back 15 of the 22 policies Trump listed. The three most popular items were lowering prescription drug prices (83%), deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records (73%), and eliminating fraud in government spending (70%).
A poll showed 51% of voters think Trump is doing a worse job than Biden. / Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll
Context From Recent Polls
The Harvard/Harris results align with several other recent surveys reporting negative public sentiment about Trump’s leadership. A January YouGov/Economist poll found 71% of Americans say the United States is "out of control" under his leadership. A CNN/SSRS survey conducted a few days later reported 58% of respondents describing Trump as a "failure" and a majority saying he is making the economy worse.
A Fox News poll last week showed 59% of respondents saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been "too aggressive" following the killing of two people by federal agents in Minneapolis—an example of rising public scrutiny over enforcement actions.
Despite these results, Trump has publicly boasted about having his "highest" poll numbers ever.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
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