The months-long slide in President Joe Biden’s approval rating is continuing despite a series of news stories that gave him a chance to change the narrative.
After several weeks of negative headlines, from inflation hitting 40-year highs, to a resurgence of the coronavirus around the holidays, and tensions between Russia and Ukraine, it seemed the president may have a chance to turn the ship around.
Late last month, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his planned retirement, giving Biden his first chance to nominate a justice. Additionally, U.S. forces carried out a raid that led to the death of the leader of the Islamic State, and the January jobs report exceeded expectations.
But on Wednesday, the RealClearPolitics average of Biden’s approval rating ticked below 40% for the first time of his presidency, coming in at 39.8%.
Despite what could be seen as a good news week for the president, polls conducted during that same time dragged down his average.
According to the site, at this time in former President Donald Trump’s time in office, his average approval rating was 42.3%.
RealClearPolitics’ average of polls also broke out Biden’s approval rating for his handling of foreign policy, the economy, and the coronavirus.
On the issue of the economy, Biden’s average approval rating sits at 38.3%. His average approval rating on immigration is lower at 33.3%. And his average approval rating for his handling of foreign policy is 37.2%.
His highest marks are for his handling of the coronavirus, where his average approval rating is 43.6%
Biden’s approval rating was above water until mid-August when the U.S. conducted its rushed evacuation from Afghanistan.
In the months following, his approval rating continued to decline as he sought to placate the progressive members of his party. He spent weeks pressuring moderate Democratic senators to pass a massive nearly $2 trillion social spending package and nuke the filibuster to pass sweeping bills to overhaul elections with a simple majority.
Once Afghanistan popped Biden’s popularity bubble, nothing he has done since has been able to pump his approval rating back up.
Biden’s new low in his approval rating comes as we are hurtling toward the 2022 midterms, which some predict could be a “bloodbath” for Democrats.
There’s probably still time for Biden to turn his poll numbers around before the election if he starts trying to govern from the center as he pledged during the campaign.
But, given his decision to double down on pleasing the progressives, going so far as to abandon his defense of the filibuster, one would not be wise to bet on a pivot.
