Donald Trump humiliated as Barack Obama surges far ahead in new approval ratings race

[Polybius]

32. Not necessarily

As a Democrat, I get the frustration with GOP attacks. They pile on relentlessly. But pinning Biden's 30% approval mostly on "character assassination" misses the bigger picture.

Biden started his term with an approval in the mid-50s. The decline began around mid-2021 and stuck around the low 40s to high 30s (with dips into the mid-30s) for years.

A lot of the drop also came from inside our own Party. Plenty of Democrats were furious that he insisted on running for re-election despite low approval ratings and being over 80, only to drop out at the very last minute in July 2024 - too late for a real primary or for the party to properly unite behind someone else. That decision frustrated many of us and tanked enthusiasm, especially among independents who saw it as putting personal pride over the country’s needs.

If it were mostly effective GOP attacks, you'd expect similar cratering for Obama (or other Democrats with strong personal favorability).