Both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are posing the time-tested question “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” to their supporters. Rarely have voters’ answers to the question been so complicated. Each candidate is hoping the answer skews in his favor, but the verdict may well hinge on whether people are reflecting back on the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of their pocketbooks or some broader sense of well-being. If the handling of the once-in-a-century outbreak defined the 2020 presidential race, it appears that voters have other things on their minds as they consider their choices in 2024.
