Unpopular President: Biden approval and U.S. direction ratings stay low

Americans remain unsatisfied with the job President Joe Biden is doing and the direction in which he is leading the country.

As Biden prepares for the end of his term, Americans' assessment of his performance shows that just 39% approve of the job he is doing as president, while only 19% expressed satisfaction with the country's trajectory.

Biden's early approval rating fluctuated in his early days in office, with slightly positive scores above 50%, which declined due to various economic challenges and policy issues. Biden's approval ratings settled in the high 30s to low 40s leading up to the 2024 presidential election.

The latest Gallup poll stated that since "at least 2010, the nation has been in a public opinion rut. Presidential job approval has rarely exceeded 50%, and congressional job approval hasn't exceeded 36%. And, except for a brief period before the start of the pandemic in 2020, less than 40% have been satisfied with the direction of the country."

The final Gallup poll of 2024 was conducted from Dec. 2 to Dec. 18.

According to the poll, Congress' job approval rating was just 17% in December, remaining under 20% for most of 2024.

The Gallup poll also stated that only 20% of Americans are satisfied with the nation's course, a figure that stayed relatively unchanged in recent surveys.

As the nation prepares for a leadership transition when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20, these steady yet subdued ratings offered by the polling give insight into the challenges faced by the outgoing administration and underscore the public's cautious outlook on the future.

The final job approval reading is expected in January.