A CNN poll of viewers who watched President Joe Biden’s first joint address to Congress found that 51% of them had a “very positive” reaction — less than the 57% who had a “very positive” reaction to President Donald Trump’s speech in 2017.
Moreover, Biden underperformed Trump even though the audience for Wednesday night’s speech skewed Democratic.
The 51% who had a very positive reaction to Biden’s speech is a bit more muted than reactions to the first address from other recent presidents. Barack Obama had the strongest first outing of the last four presidents, with 68% saying they had a very positive reaction to his speech, and George W. Bush in 2001 earned a similar 66% very positive. Fewer — 57% — had a very positive reaction to Donald Trump’s 2017 address.
