President Biden did less to improve the nation’s defenses, immigration situation and federal debt than any of his three White House predecessors, according to a new survey of US voters.
Biden, who has spent 48 of the last 52 years in public office, will leave the White House on Jan. 20 when Trump, 78, is inaugurated as president.
Trump’s -13% rating on crime was the best among the last four presidents.
Only 13% of respondents felt immigration improved under the current commander in chief.
Only 6% of US adults responded that history would remember Biden as an “outstanding” president and 13% thought his legacy would be regarded as “above average.”
“Look, let’s get something in mind about the border. When I became president, the numbers came way down,” Biden told reporters earlier this month, though the number of migrants who crossed the border into the US surged in his first three years to reach an all-time high by the end of 2023.
But the majority of respondents to the Gallup survey believe Biden lost the most ground when it came to addressing the federal debt, which stands at more than $36 trillion.
Biden scored a net negative -56% on the way he handled the federal debt — worse than Obama’s -36% and Trump’s -45% ratings. The survey conducted after the Bush presidency did not ask about the federal debt.
“I put together one of the most competent foreign policy teams in American history,” Biden said Monday of his efforts during remarks at the State Department.
Biden (-32%) outperformed Bush (-57%) in terms of the US’s position in the world and the economy, with the latter leaving office during the 2008 financial crisis.
The only area where the outgoing president earned a net positive rating was on “the situation for gay, lesbian and transgender people” at 16%, which was far less than Obama’s 52% positive rating. Meanwhile, Trump received a 4% positive rating in terms of progress made for LGBT Americans.
