President Joe Biden is closing out 2023 with his voting numbers still in the doldrums — worse than any other president at the same stage of his first term — as he prepares for next year's election, with voters still concerned about the state of the economy.
And that's despite his overall approval rating rising slightly.
Gallup's latest tracking number, released Friday, puts Biden's approval rating at 39 percent, up two points from lows in October and November.
That's worse than the last seven presidents in history, when they came into power at the end of their third year in office.
Barack Obama was at 43 percent and Donald Trump at 45 percent entering the election year.
Gallup's December presidential poll found that Joe Biden's approval rating was 39 percent lower than that of the last seven presidents in history at the end of their third year in office
Biden's approval rating has improved slightly from the deep lows of October and November
All others, including Jimmy Carter, who is often held up as a benchmark for a failed presidency, received favorable job ratings from more than 50 percent of respondents.
Bill Clinton and George HW Bush polled at 51 percent, while Ronald Reagan and Carter polled at 54 percent.
George W. Bush had the best numbers. His 58 percent status was inflated by the recent capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
It all shows how much work the 81-year-old Biden has to do in his quest for re-election.
“While the economy is showing signs of improvement and Americans are somewhat more optimistic about it, it remains a pressing concern,” Gallup said in its analysis of the figures.
“In addition to dealing with the national economy and overseeing the United States' role in wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Biden continues to face a crisis at the southern U.S. border.
“Given Republicans' concerns about the issue, Biden can expect immigration to be a central issue in the Republican presidential nominee's 2024 campaign.”
Biden was in Milwaukee on Wednesday and spoke about his economic and investment achievements.
“If you build from the middle, if you expand the middle class, the poor have a chance and the rich are still doing very well, the middle class is doing well, and we're all doing well,” he said.
Biden's approval rating has increased by two points in the past month
Biden can only dream of the kind of approval ratings Jimmy Carter enjoyed during his time in office. At the same stage of his presidency, Carter had an approval rating of 54 percent
However, Biden and his campaign are struggling to convince voters that the economy is in safe hands. Many families say they are still struggling with higher prices, even as the cost of gas and some groceries has fallen over the past year.
Inflation has fallen to 3.1 percent, unemployment is still at very low levels and stock markets are approaching record highs.
The Gallup poll offers good news for Biden, with signs that his message may be starting to get through.
About four in five adults said economic conditions in the country were fair or poor.
And 68 percent of Americans said the economy was worsening, while 28 percent said it was improving.
That may not sound encouraging, but Gallup converted the data to a score of -32 for the Economic Confidence Index, which is a jump from last month's score of -40.
A White House memo said the administration is making progress.
“This week's news that the U.S. economy will grow by nearly five percent in the third quarter of 2023 is all the more reason to continue this progress, which has made the United States by far the world's greatest economic success story to come out of the COVID recession,” wrote senior communications advisor Andrew Bates.
“Now inflation is falling, wages are rising and, thanks to Bidenomics, Americans will get a pay increase in time for the holidays.”