It feels like a lifetime ago. Back in the early spring of 2021, the political atmosphere in Washington was actually—dare I say—optimistic for the incoming administration. Joe Biden had just taken the oath, vaccines were rolling out into arms across the country, and the stimulus checks were hitting bank accounts. People were feeling okay.
Honestly, it’s the kind of "honeymoon phase" most presidents dream about but rarely sustain. For Biden, that peak wasn’t just a fluke of a single good week; it was a specific window of time where his numbers hit heights he would never see again. If you're looking for the hard data, Joe Biden highest approval rating was 57%, according to Gallup.
This didn't just happen once. He hit that 57% mark right out of the gate in late January 2021 and managed to climb back up to it again in April 2021. Some other pollsters, like the Associated Press-NORC, even saw him as high as 63% during that same period. But why? Why did more than six out of ten Americans actually like what they saw back then, only for the numbers to slide into the high 30s and low 40s later on?
The 100-Day Magic
The first few months of any presidency are usually a bit of a grace period, but Biden’s start was unique. You’ve gotta remember the context: the country was exhausted. We were coming off a chaotic election cycle and a massive winter surge of COVID-19.
When Biden hit his 57% peak, he was riding a wave of legislative wins and a sense of "return to normalcy." The American Rescue Plan—that $1.9 trillion stimulus package—was incredibly popular at the time. It wasn't just about the money, though that helped. It was the feeling that the government was actually "doing something" after a year of lockdown fatigue.
By April 2021, which is when he hit that high mark for the second time, the vaccination campaign was in full swing. Remember those "vax-site selfies"? They were everywhere. At that point, people generally felt that the end of the pandemic was in sight.
What was driving the 57%?
It wasn't just Democrats. While his support among his own party was sky-high (often over 90%), he was actually pulling in a decent chunk of Independents. Gallup data shows that in those first few months, about half of Independents approved of his job performance.
- Vaccine rollout: Millions were getting shots every day.
- Stimulus checks: Direct payments of $1,400 went to most households.
- Tone: A quieter, more conventional communication style from the White House.
- Job growth: The economy was "reopening," leading to massive monthly job gains.
But man, things changed fast.
The August Cliff
If you look at the charts, there’s a very clear moment where the floor fell out. It was August 2021. That’s when the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan. Regardless of how you feel about the policy of leaving, the images on the news—people clinging to planes at the Kabul airport—shattered that "competence" brand the administration had built.
Right around that same time, the Delta variant of COVID-19 showed up. It ruined the "Summer of Freedom" everyone had planned. Suddenly, masks were back, and the promise that vaccines would end the pandemic felt a bit more complicated. Biden’s approval rating dropped below 50% that month, and it basically never went back up.
The Inflation Factor
You can’t talk about Biden’s numbers without talking about the grocery store. High gas prices and expensive eggs are the ultimate approval rating killers.
By 2022, inflation was hitting 40-year highs. Even though unemployment was record-low, people felt poorer because their paychecks weren't keeping up with the cost of living. This is where the gap between the White House’s "look at the data" approach and the public’s "I can’t afford beef" reality became a massive problem.
Independents, who had given him that 57% peak, fled. By mid-2022, his approval among that group had tanked into the 30s. Republicans, meanwhile, remained consistently near zero in their approval, making the overall average look pretty grim.
How He Compares to History
It’s easy to think Biden’s numbers were uniquely bad, but the truth is a bit more nuanced. We live in a hyper-polarized world now.
| President | Peak Approval | Low Approval |
|---|---|---|
| George W. Bush | 92% (Post-9/11) | 19% |
| Barack Obama | 67% | 37% |
| Donald Trump | 49% | 29% |
| Joe Biden | 57% | 36% |
Look at George W. Bush. He hit 92% after 9/11 because the country rallied together. That just doesn't happen anymore. Biden’s peak of 57% is actually pretty solid for the 21st century. It’s higher than Trump ever got in most mainstream polls, though lower than the "honeymoon" peaks of Obama or the elder Bush.
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The real story isn't just the high; it's the stability of the low. Since late 2021, Biden’s numbers stayed in a very narrow, very stubborn band between 37% and 42%.
Why the "Biden Highest Approval Rating" Matters Now
Understanding that 57% peak is kinda like looking at a "before and after" photo of the American psyche. It shows that there was a moment where a majority of the country was willing to get behind the administration.
When you're analyzing political capital, those early days are everything. That high approval allowed him to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Even as his numbers fell, the "work" he did while he was popular set the stage for the rest of his term.
A lot of people think approval ratings are just a vanity metric. They aren't. They dictate how much members of Congress are willing to risk their own necks for a president's agenda. When Biden was at 57%, he was the boss. When he was at 38%, he had to beg for every single vote.
Actionable Takeaways for Following the Data
If you're trying to make sense of these numbers for future elections or just to stay informed, here’s what you should actually look at:
- Focus on Independents: In a polarized country, the "base" never moves. The only people who actually change their minds are Independents. If a president’s approval among Independents drops below 40%, they’re in trouble.
- Watch the "Disapprove Strongly" Metric: It's one thing to "disapprove." It's another to strongly disapprove. This is a measure of motivation. High "strong" disapproval usually means the other party is going to have massive turnout in the next election.
- Look at the "Direction of the Country" Polls: Often, people say they disapprove of the President just because they're unhappy with the world in general. If 70% of people think the country is on the "wrong track," the President's approval will almost always be low, regardless of what they’re actually doing.
- Compare Multiple Pollsters: Don't just trust one. Use averages like those from 5ThirtyEight or RealClearPolitics to smooth out the "noise" from single polls that might be outliers.
The era of 70% approval ratings is probably over. Biden's 57% might be one of the last times we see a president get that close to a true national consensus, even if it was only for a few months.
To keep track of how these numbers evolve for future administrations, bookmark the Gallup Presidential Approval Center. It provides the most consistent historical context for how every president since Truman has fared in the eyes of the public.