Journalists, It’s Official: Cratering Biden Is Now Less Popular Than Trump

It’s official. It’s official. Joe Biden is less popular than Donald Trump. As of February 1, 2022, Biden’s Real Clear Politics (RCP) average of all the polls shows him at 41.4 for approval and 54.7 or disapproval. Exactly four years ago, on February 1,2018, Trump’s RCP average stood at 41.5 approval and 54.5 disapproval. 

Journalists and networks must report on this story in order to be honest. Trump was hit with relentlessly antagonistic coverage, often surpassing 90 percent negative. 

Biden on the other side enjoyed praiseworthy media reporting both during the campaign as well as his first year. On inauguration day 2021, the networks proclaimed him “Lincoln,” ready to “hug” and heal the nation. 

We are here, however. Look at this RCP chart showing Biden’s plummeting approval rating and his skyrocketing disapproval rating. 

In October of 2021, we published a NewsBusters study finding that the networks covered Trump’s low polling almost two-to-one more than they did for Biden. This was an analysis of the August-October 2017 and August-October 2021 periods, which were tumultuous times for both presidents. 

As Biden’s presidency crumbled, it became less realistic for the networks to ignore reality and pretend that Biden is popular So, they didn’t try. However, while much of the coverage now acknowledges things aren’t going well, they still downplay or ignore the most explicitly bad numbers for Biden. 

Quinnipiac was a respected main polling agency that discovered the president on January 12.A shockingly low 33%. However, all three networks skipped the event on January 13. It was up to MSNBC, of all places, where host Stephanie Ruhle conceded: “As the White House juggles all of these issues, there was some more troubling numbers out. According to the Quinnipiac, Joe Biden is only 33% in favor according to today’s Quinnipiac survey. That is a new low for his presidency.” 

In December, the three networks allowed a combined 75 seconds to Biden’s tanking poll numbers. In January they also managed to avoid historically poor numbers for Democrats before the midterms. A. November 17, 2021 PoliticoA shocking 48% of respondents to a Morning Consult poll said that Biden was not mentally ready for the presidency. What is the result? It was ignored by the networks. 

Biden has been historically ineligible for the past few years. He’s more unpopular than Trump. Back in 2017, the networks gleefully noted that polls found Trump “unfit to serve,” that people were embarrassed to have him as president.” Yet Biden’s numbers are equally horrific. An AP/NORC poll on January 2022 found that 28 percent of respondents wanted Biden reelected. 

It’s time now. It’s time for all the apocalyptic, nightmarish polling language journalists used to describe Trump’s unpopularity to be brought back and used on Biden. This is possible, however, only if journalists are honest. But that’s not very likely, is it?