Joe Biden Dropped Out Of The Presidential Race, And His Job Approval Is On The Rise

A funny thing happened on President Joe Biden’s way to lame-duck status: He started getting more popular, or at least less unpopular.

Since Biden reluctantly stepped aside from the presidential race in late July, his approval rating has steadily ticked up to levels of popularity he had not seen in more than a year, an apparent reflection of both the gratitude of voters who view his decision as selfless and also of a slew of positive economic news in recent weeks. The 81-year-old’s improved standing could ultimately benefit his preferred successor, Vice President Kamala Harris, as she aims to defeat former President Donald Trump in November.

David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said the 48% approval Biden reached in a poll he conducted for USA Today last week was the highest mark Suffolk had recorded during the Democrat’s presidency. He suggested voters may now be taking a big-picture view of Biden’s presidency rather than rating how they feel he’s doing in office at this precise moment.

“He’s taken himself out of [the election], he’s entered legacy territory with some voters, they’ve seen he’s passing the torch,” Paleologos told HuffPost. “So in that sense, it’s not point in time job approval, it’s more the totality of his administration over the last four years.”

Paleologos compared Biden to a retiring athlete getting a last round of applause from the hometown fans: “You forget the bad games and you remember the time when the athlete performed to your liking or exceeded your expectations. It’s the same kind of dynamic.”

To be clear, Biden remains far from the nation’s most adored politician. In the Suffolk poll, his disapproval rating is effectively tied with his