The upcoming 2024 presidential election is shaping up to be a battle between two former presidents, Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll revealed that voters have more positive views of Trump’s policies than Biden’s, with 40 percent saying Trump’s policies helped them personally compared to just 18 percent for Biden.
Interestingly, even groups that were affected by policies Democrats hope to use as motivating issues in 2024 have a more favorable view of Trump’s policies. Women, for example, are 20 percentage points more likely to say Trump’s policies helped them than Biden’s, despite Trump’s stance on abortion rights.
The economy appears to be a key factor in voters’ perceptions of the candidates’ policies. Republicans overwhelmingly view the economy as bad, while Democrats are more divided. Those who believe the economy is in good shape tend to have positive views of Biden’s policies, while those who think it’s fair or poor are more critical.
Hispanic voters, who opposed Trump’s border wall and travel ban in 2016, now view his policies more favorably than Biden’s, with 37 percent saying Trump’s policies helped them personally.
Overall, voters across gender, age, race, and education are more likely to say Biden’s time in office has hurt more than helped. However, Biden is winning among those who believe his policies have not made much of a difference.
As the 2024 election approaches, it will be interesting to see how voters weigh the records of these two former presidents and ultimately make their decision at the polls. Just like in the 1912 election, where Woodrow Wilson defeated both Taft and Roosevelt, anything can happen in politics.
