In a recent survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal, former President Donald Trump has edged ahead of current President Joe Biden in national polling for the upcoming 2024 presidential election. This polling result comes just a day after President Trump criticized his predecessor as "despicable" at an event in California.

According to the poll, Biden has received the lowest approval rating of his presidency, aligning with other recent studies that have caused concern within Democratic circles with less than a year remaining before voters head to the polls.

The Wall Street Journal survey indicates that Trump is leading Biden by four points, with 47% of respondents favoring Trump and 43% supporting Biden. This marks the first time that this particular poll has shown Trump in the lead in a head-to-head matchup for the 2024 White House race.

When the survey includes five potential third-party and independent candidates, who collectively garner 17% support, Trump's lead expands to six points, with a tally of 37% compared to Biden's 31%.

While Biden has expressed his intention to run for a second term, there are growing concerns within the Democratic party about his advancing age. With Biden turning 81 on election day and potentially serving until he turns 86 if re-elected, there are worries that his age may deter voters.

Adding to the hurdles in Biden's path to re-election is the recent indictment of his son, Hunter Biden, in California on nine criminal tax charges. These allegations create additional challenges for the President's campaign.

On the other hand, Trump, who leads the race for the Republican nomination by a significant margin, faces his own legal woes. RealClearPolitics reports that Trump holds an almost 50-point lead in the nomination race. However, the former President remains vulnerable due to multiple ongoing criminal cases, some relating to his efforts to overturn Biden's victory in the 2020 election.

During a fundraising event on Friday night, Biden strongly criticized Trump for his actions during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. He denounced Trump's inaction and described it as "despicable," highlighting how the former President watched the turmoil unfold on television without stepping in to quell the violence.

Biden also referenced Trump's recent interview with Fox News, where he was asked about potentially abusing his power if re-elected. Slamming Trump's response, Biden exclaimed, "The other day he said he would be a dictator only one day. God, only one day! He embraces political violence instead of rejecting it."

Biden's speech focused primarily on the threat he believes Trump poses to democracy and did not touch on the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. Addressing the audience of Democratic party supporters, he stated, "You're the reason that Donald Trump is a former president, or, he hates when I say it, a defeated president. My guess is that he won't show up at my next inauguration."

While the results of the Wall Street Journal survey have alarmed many Democrats, some caution against investing too much in what they view as "mad poll disease" – anxiety induced by interpreting negative polls as definitive predictions about the future. The survey also acknowledges that while a significant number of Democrats currently express dissatisfaction with Biden, they may still choose to support him on election day, particularly if Trump is the Republican nominee.