GOP, Dems Divided Over Being Better Off 4 Years Later

When asked the election question about whether they are better off than they were four years ago, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say no, given what they see as challenges under President Joe Biden, but some are saying they also don’t want to return to another White House under former President Donald Trump. 

“In just over two years, Biden has tanked the economy, opened up our borders, embarrassed America on the world stage, worsened a supply chain crisis, and stoked the coals of division in our country,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Emma Vaughn commented to The Hill.

“Americans are less safe, and their paychecks are worth less as a result of Biden’s reckless policies,” she added. “Come 2024, voters will send him packing home to Delaware for good.”

But while some GOP operatives are pointing to rising crime and inflation, falling stocks, and worries about out-of-control immigration, there are some Republicans who agree with Democrats that Americans will feel in the 2024 election cycle they are better off now than they were four years ago under both the pandemic and Trump. 

The question of being better off could lead to an “invitation to run with Trump, whether or not he’s on the ticket,” Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, who does not support him, said. “It’s not a winning strategy for the Republican Party. It’s looking backward.”

Democratic strategist Christy Setzer commented that she thinks voters will remember Trump’s years in office “as a time of constant anxiety, chaos, and cruelty — hence voting him out.”

However, Biden’s poll numbers have remained low for months, including with a Gallup poll this week showing that only 32% approve of his handling of the economy, and with voters also disapproving of how he’s handled energy, the environment, and foreign affairs. 

Further, a Real Clear Politics average of the nations’ polls show only 28% think the United States is heading in the right direction. 

But Republican strategist John Feehery said that there is a case that can be made in pointing to Biden’s flaws, he doesn’t know if people want to go back to Trump’s “tumultuous” time in office. 

But still, he said Biden is “out of touch, barely cognizant, and that’s why his poll numbers are so low. Not only is he from the past but his ideas are from the past. They need to make that connection to his view of the world.” 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to announce a bid for the presidency but is already seeking to undermine Trump on how he handled the COVID situation, including lockdowns in 2020. 

“You take a crisis situation like COVID, the good thing about it is that when you’re an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions, you’ve got to steer that ship,” DeSantis said earlier this year. “The good thing is that people are able to render a judgment on that: whether they re-elect you or not.”