Americans say Biden was bad for country, Trump was good: NYT/Sienna poll

A new poll has revealed that more Americans view Trump’s years as president as good for the nation, while Biden’s years have been bad.

The New York Times/Sienna College poll found that just 25 percent of Americans say that Biden has been "mostly good for America," while 42 percent said the same for Trump. Of those who said either president was "mostly bad for America," 33 percent said this of Trump, while 46 percent said this of Biden.

The poll has also found that poll respondents’ views on Trump have changed since 2020, his last full year as president. 10 percent more people approve of his handling of the economy, pushing his approval on the topic over 60 percent. 

Trump also gained 9 points among those who think Trump left the country in a better state, 8 points among those who approved of his handling of maintaining law and order, and 4 points among those who approve of his handling of unifying America. From 2016 to when the poll was conducted, Trump gained 11 points among those who think that electing him is a "safe" choice.

The poll was conducted between April 7 and 11 of 1,059 registered voters, and has a margin of error of 3.3 percent.

While the country generally maintained a period of international peace and economic prosperity, with the pandemic at the end of his term marking a period of chaos also seen in countries around the world, Biden’s term has been marked with inflation, international instability, and an open border resulting in record high illegal immigration.

The highest ever recorded regular gas price, according to AAA, was recorded under Biden’s term, reaching $5.016 on June 14, 2022. Prices are once again on the rise, reaching $3.634 as of April 15, up from $3.438 one month prior.

Biden’s term has also seen international turmoil, including the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that saw the deaths of 13 servicemembers, the start of the war in Eastern Europe which has continued to drag on with the US providing billions in weapons and funding, and the October 7 massacre in Israel, which recently culminated in Iran launching a drone attack against the nation.

Under Biden’s term, the US has seen record high levels of illegal immigration, causing chaos in sanctuary cities across the nation. The 2023 fiscal year saw 2,475,669 encounters at the southern border, while the 2024 fiscal year, which is halfway through, has seen 1,340,801 so far. 

The porous border has resulted in 172 people on the terror watchlist being encountered by US Customs and Border Protection agents crossing into the US illegally in FY 2023, up from 2022 when 98 people were encountered. An additional 564 people were encountered attempting entry into the US at ports of entry.