The low approval rating and various political headwinds for President Biden have invited comparisons with another first-term Democratic president, Jimmy Carter, and the challenges he faced running for re-election in 1980.
Many Republicans are thinking about his defeat at the hands of Ronald Reagan, bullish that Donald Trump also has what it takes to oust a flagging incumbent.
The more significant comparisons could be between Mr. Trump and Mr. Carter and their difficulty in winning over voters and, even more, between Mr. Biden and Mr. Reagan and their attempts to address doubts about their age — which are flaring again for Mr. Biden.
But what became increasingly clear throughout 1980 was that there was a ceiling on voter support for Mr. Carter.
Mr. Carter’s job approval at the end of March was close to his final 41 percent share of the vote in November.
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Biden, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, bullish, Donald Trump, Trump, Carter, Reagan, Biden’s, Carter’s
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