President Joe Biden’s approval rating has fallen again according to a respected new survey, putting him at a dangerously low point so early in his presidency as his party gears up for a midterm election cycle in a few months.
The new data from Quinnipiac University shows Biden in deep trouble: His approval rating is just 38 percent, which fell from a not-so-great 42 percent just last month. Meanwhile, his disapproval rating rose from 50 percent to 53 percent in the survey taken Oct. 1-4.
The president’s decline is as stark as it is sudden. Biden’s approval numbers remained in the low to mid-50s throughout the summer, but began to tank significantly following the chaotic and deadly evacuation from Afghanistan, where just a few days before the final U.S. transport left the country, 13 U.S. military personnel were killed by a suicide bomber.
But Biden’s approval rating is not simply a reflection of the Afghanistan withdrawal; a growing number of Americans are upset with his handling of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and are especially angry about the unprecedented surge of illegal aliens into the country crossing from Mexico.
Also, gas and energy prices have been steadily rising since Biden took office and reversed several of his predecessor’s energy policies including cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and granting new oil drilling leases on some federal lands. And, with higher energy prices have come higher food bills and other costs to families.
“Battered on trust, doubted on leadership, and challenged on overall competency, President Biden is being hammered on all sides as his approval rating continues its downward slide to a number not seen since the tough scrutiny of the Trump administration,” said Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy in a statement summarizing the survey’s findings.
Biden’s new numbers led at least one cable news host on a left-leaning network normally deferential to the president — CNN’s Jake Tapper — to remark that they are “brutal.”
“These new poll numbers are frankly brutal for the president,” Tapper said during his show “The Lead” on Wednesday.
Tapper went on to cite from the Quinnipiac survey, noting that just 39 percent of respondents approve of Biden’s handling of the economy versus 55 percent who disapprove. He also noted the survey’s question of whether Americans think Biden is honest: 44 percent said yes, while most — 50 percent — said no.
“And one of the most damning results of all: More than half of the American people, 55 percent, say that the Biden administration is not competent in running the government,” Tapper said, compared with 42 percent who said it was.
CNN's Jake Tapper: New poll numbers are "brutal" for Joe Biden.
"More than half of the American people—55%—say the Biden administration is not competent in running the government." pic.twitter.com/gLLkQFbfjj
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 6, 2021
The mention by Tapper is significant given his network’s usual softer treatment of Biden and Democrats in general, though the anchor told the left-wing magazine Mother Jones in a story published in late July that he’s not a “liberal Democrat.”
“Look, I’m not a liberal Democrat. I’m not advocating that Joe Biden be reelected. I just think it’s important that these very nefarious lies be called out,” Tapper said in reference to some supporters of former President Donald Trump who believe his reelection was stolen due to a “rigged” process.
The Quinnipiac survey also found that fewer than four-in-10 Americans (37 percent) believe Biden is doing a good job as commander-in-chief.
His worst issue, by far, is his handling of immigration: Just 25 percent of Americans approve of his policies while 67 percent disapprove. Regarding the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, 23 percent give Biden a passing grade while 67 percent do not.
Jon has over 30 years' worth of reporting experience, as well as an author and U.S. Army veteran. He has a BA in political science from Ashford University and an MA in national security studies/intelligence analysis from American Military University.
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