How Joe Biden's Approval Rating Compares to Trump's 2 Weeks Before Midterms

Despite a notable upswing since this summer, President Joe Biden's approval rating is still in negative territory with just two weeks to go until the crucial midterm elections.

Biden's approval rating is slightly lower than former President Donald Trump's approval rating at the same stage in 2018 when his party lost control of the House of Representatives.

The president's approval rating was 41.8 percent as of October 25, according to analysis from poll tracker FiveThirtyEight, while his disapproval rating stood at 53.4 percent.

The midterm elections are set for November 8, but Biden's approval rating is likely to be only one factor in voters' intentions as Americans remain concerned about inflation, abortion rights, the war in Ukraine and other matters.

Trump had a slightly higher approval rating at the same point during the 2018 midterms, which took place on November 6 of that year. On October 24, 2018, the former president had an approval rating of 42.8 percent.

His disapproval at the time stood at 52 percent - meaning Biden's poll numbers are in worse shape than Trump's at the same stage of the last midterm election cycle.

Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in 2018 but Republicans retained control of the Senate. Recent polls have suggested a similar result this year with the parties' positions reversed but conditions for Democrats seem to have deteriorated in recent days.

Biden's approval rating has improved considerably in recent months and stood at just 37.9 percent on July 24, while 56.9 percent of Americans disapproved of him.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment.

Democrats were previously "slightly favored" to win the Senate in FiveThirtyEight's analysis but the poll tracker now rates the race for the Senate as a "dead heat."

That may be due in part to Republican candidates narrowing the gap in key races such as Pennsylvania, where Trump-endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz has eroded Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman's lead ahead of their one and only debate on Tuesday night.

A recent Emerson College Polling/WHDH 7 News survey in New Hampshire's Senate race found Republican candidate and retired U.S. Army brigadier general Donald Bolduc making significant gains against Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan. The senator recorded 48 percent support to Bolduc's 45 percent.

The GOP is widely expected to take control of the House unless there are some major upsets on election night. Republicans would be able to stymie Biden's agenda if they took control of one or both chambers, with House Republicans also likely to launch a series of investigations if they control the House.

The subjects of potential probes include the president's son, Hunter Biden, and his business dealings, as well as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border, among other matters.

Biden recently defended his role on the campaign trail, telling a reporter he had campaigned with 15 Democratic candidates. However, a Newsweek fact check found that claim needed context as it could be argued that some of the events Biden attended with Democrats do not fall under the stricter definition of "campaigning."