A new survey released over the weekend by NBC News contains a wealth of bad news for President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party: Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction under his and his party’s stewardship.
“Americans have lost their confidence in President Biden and their optimism for the country,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd intoned as he analyzed the dismal findings for the administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress.
The poll found that 71 percent, or “7 in 10 adults, including almost half of Democrats, believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction.” In addition, 57 percent disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy, and overall, his approval rating has tanked to just 42 percent. In August, slightly more than half — 51 percent — disapproved of his economic agenda, a statistic that has risen along with inflation, most notably at the gas pump and grocery store.
“Maybe even more troubling for Biden, just 37 percent of adults give him high marks — on a 5-point scale — for being competent and effective as president, and only 28 percent give him high marks for uniting the country,” NBC News reported, citing its survey.
“Just 22 percent of adults say [the U.S. is] headed in the right direction,” Todd noted. “A shocking 71 percent say we’re on the wrong track.
“Scary news for the Democrats,” Todd said.
The survey also found that only 37 percent of Americans believe Biden is capable of handling a crisis versus 47 percent who don’t think so.
While Biden appeared to remain in mostly positive territory throughout the summer, his approval rating really began trending downward following the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. A Gallup survey released in mid-October also found that Biden’s approval had fallen to 42 percent.
“His public support has fallen 14 percentage points since June, including a six-point drop last month,” the polling firm said, adding that the drop-off was the steepest for any U.S. president since World War II.
Worse for Biden and Democrats, “34% of independents approve of the job Biden is doing, the lowest of his term to date. His approval among independents has fallen a total of 21 points since June, including nine points since August,” Gallup noted.
The worsening economy is also driving Biden’s poll numbers downward. A CNBC All-America Economic Survey released earlier in October found Biden had a 41 percent approval rating, which the financial news network noted is “deeply underwater.”
“Behind the decline is a surge in negative views of his handling of the economy, with just 40% approving,” CNBC reported.
In early September, a Zogby Analytics survey delivered another shock to Biden: One-in-five voters (20 percent) who cast ballots for him said they regretted doing so. And an Emerson College survey found that in a Biden-Trump 2024 rematch, the former president would edge Biden out 47-46 percent.
The Emerson survey also found strong support among Republicans for a “Trump or a Trumpian candidate” rather than a Republican moderate like Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah. In that survey, Biden trounces Romney 42 percent to 23 percent. Biden also beats out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 48-36 percent.
“Why does this matter? If you take into consideration the size of the electorate, and how the last two Presidential elections (2016 and 2020) were decided by tens of thousands of votes in a handful of battleground states, this could really hurt President Biden’s chances in 2024,” Zogby noted.
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Originally from Indiana, she now calls sunny Florida her home.
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