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Kornacki Highlights What Stands Out About Biden's Polling Heading Into Election Year

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  January 02, 2024 11:30 AM

NBC’s final survey of 2023 does not bode well for President Biden heading into an election year, political analyst Steve Kornacki explained Sunday. 

Looking at how the president’s approval rating, standing at just 40 percent in the survey, compares historically, the national political correspondent said during the New Year's Eve broadcast that it’s the “lowest” figure among recent presidents. 

“How does this compare to past presidents entering the reelection year? Here, you can see it. Here’s the 40 that we have Biden at right now,” he said. “These are all the final polls heading into the election year, a reelection year that NBC conducted.” 

In addition to Biden's numbers, the screen showed the approval ratings of former Presidents Trump (44 percent), Obama (46 percent), Bush 43 (51 percent), Clinton (51 percent), and Bush 41 (52 percent) heading into a re-election year. 

“That’s the lowest,” Kornacki said of Biden’s approval rating. “That’s the lowest in an NBC poll for an incumbent facing a reelection here.”

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An analysis of the November survey highlighted where there is particular concern for the Biden camp. 

And maybe most concerning of all for Biden, the NBC News poll and other surveys indicate that the Democratic coalition has frayed less than a year before the 2024 general election, with Biden experiencing declining approval ratings not just among independents but also among young voters, Latinos and even Black voters.

“On every metric, Joe Biden is in a weaker position today than when he won the 2020 election,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, who co-conducts the NBC News poll with Republican Bill McInturff.

The culprits behind Biden’s precarious position include inflation and wages’ not keeping up with prices, concerns about Biden’s age and fitness and the Israel-Hamas war, which has resulted in some younger voters’ turning against him. (NBC News)