At about the start of October, President Joe Biden began to see his job approval numbers sharply decline after enjoying strong numbers for most of the first half of his term. With his one-year anniversary in the Oval Office just two weeks away, Biden has seen his disapproval numbers jump and his approval numbers decline.

The year-ending poll numbers from The Economist/YouGov showed Biden with a 43% job approval rating, while his disapproval rating was 51%. It was a sharp decline from late August, when the same polling group showed Biden with an approval rating of 47% and a disapproval rating of 46%.

However, the polling has been erratic during Biden's approval-rating decline. The last 2021 poll from Reuters/Ipsos actually showed Biden with a 48% approval rating and a 46% disapproval rating. The numbers are encouraging considering recent presidents historically have seen their popularity wane at this point of their term.

The right-leaning Trafalgar Group has shown Biden with as low as a 36% approval rating and as high as a 58% disapproval rating. Another right-leaning poll, Rasmussen Reports, closed the year showing that 20% strongly approve of the job Biden is doing compared to 47% who strongly disapprove.

Meanwhile, Gallup polls since early August show Biden with a higher disapproval rating than approval rating. November was the worst month for Biden, according to Gallup polls, with Biden's approval rating at 42% and his disapproval rating at 55%.

In the first month of Biden's term, polling expert Nate Silver noted the consistency of his solid approval ratings.

Some pundits cited the pullout of troops from Afghanistan as the reason for Biden's poor numbers. But in early October, Silver's online publication, FiveThirtyEight, pointed out that the timing of Biden's approval-rating drop suggested it was "driven by the resurgent pandemic, dissatisfaction with the economy, or even natural post-honeymoon reversion to a mean that is more realistic in these polarized times. In other words, a myriad of factors."

What Biden may have going for him is that he at least saw exceptional approval ratings in the first half of his term that were far better than his predecessor and potential 2024 opponent Donald Trump.

As late as July 30, Biden had a 57% approval rating and a 34% disapproval rating from Investor's Business Daily and TIPP -- numbers that were better than Barack Obama in the first year of his term.