Democrats picked up 41 seats and control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018.
Donald Trump’s only midterm was a four-alarm disaster. On this date (June 29th) in 2018, the Republican president’s average rating in the RCP job approval polling average was negative 7.9% (51.4% disapprove, 43.5% approve).
Joe Biden wishes he was doing that well today, Save Jerseyans.
As of June 29, 2022, the Democrat incumbent’s RCP rating is negative 19.5% (57.5% disapprove, 38% approve).
The calculus isn’t too complicated.
People generally didn’t like Donald Trump or the rancor that dominated his presidency, but the hard results – a strong economy and peace abroad – kept his job approval from completely falling off of the political cliff. Biden’s problem is trickier to fix; people don’t think he’s competent. Things are ugly at home and overseas. A majority of Americans prefer the asshole to the dumbass.
Biden’s dilemma is one of the MANY reasons why desperate House Democrats are going all-in on the January 6th hearings. They can’t rehabilitate their demented commander-in-chief, so reminding voters of the last guy is arguably their only play. It’s not going so well.
Related: Trump is slightly favored in a hypothetical rematch with Biden in 2024.
