A Gallup poll suggests that President Joe Biden will be viewed as the worst commander in chief since Richard Nixon.
Conducted in December, the survey highlights that a substantial number of Americans believe President Biden's tenure will be viewed unfavorably, compared to presidents of recent times.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The survey is a possible insight into how history will view Biden, capturing public sentiment at the end of his presidency, and highlighting ongoing challenges faced during his term, such as economic difficulties, geopolitical conflicts, and intense political polarization.
What To Know
Respondents were asked how they thought presidents would go down in history—"as an outstanding president, above average, average, below average, or poor?"
The poll found that among U.S. adults Biden received a net score of -35—the percentage Outstanding/Above Average minus the percentage Below Average/Poor.
The only president to receive a lower score was Nixon, with -42.
Six percent overall rated Biden as "outstanding," 13 percent rated him "above average," 26 percent "average," 17 percent "below average," and 37 percent rated him "poor."
For Nixon, only four percent rated him as "outstanding," eight percent "above average," 28 percent "average," 24 percent "below average," and 30 percent "poor."
The poll results were based on a random sample of 1,003 adults, aged 18 and above, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Gallup estimated a margin of error of four percentage points.
A Siena College survey of U.S. presidents, which is taken whenever a new commander in chief is elected, ranked Biden 19th when he was just one year into the job.
What People Are Saying
Thomas Gift, a political scientist who runs the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London (UCL) told Newsweek: "The legacies of U.S. presidents almost uniformly improve with the benefit of hindsight. The same will hold true of Biden.
"While the myriad challenges of this administration, from a disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal to deep-seated inflation, are top of minds for Americans now, more distance from Biden's tenure will provide a richer appreciation also of its accomplishments.
"These include reinvigorating the NATO alliance, guiding the country out of the depths of COVID-19, and passing a major infrastructure bill that eluded his predecessors."
Emeritus Professor of United States History at UCL Iwan Morgan told Newsweek: "Presidents do tend to be better regarded following the passage of time rather than when they leave office. Dwight Eisenhower fared badly in the early 1960s polls taken shortly after he left office but is now thought of as 'near great' by most historians and has a top ten ranking. Jimmy Carter also does far better in this new poll than he did back in 1980, when few thought him outstanding and above average, but his postpresidential good deeds have apparently changed assessments of his leadership in office.
"Biden's low rating is not surprising given his poor approval ratings in office and the sense that the country was on the wrong track. In reality, however, Biden's economic record stands favorable comparison with every president since Clinton and he has presided over an era of peace once he extricated the U.S. from Afghanistan, however shambolically."
What Happens Next
Biden's departure paves the way for the return of former President Donald Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, following his 2020 loss to the Biden-Harris ticket.
Trump will reenter the White House as president following his inauguration on January 20.
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