Joe Biden
Joe Biden© Provided by 1945

In what must be seen as an alarming trend for the White House and the Biden campaign management team for his re-election bid, President Joe Biden is languishing in another new poll. Biden is garnering an overall approval rating of just 36 percent – down from 42 percent approval from the same survey in February. He has high disapproval ratings, low support for running again, and a dipping number that measures his mental acuity.

The ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that in a match-up with Donald Trump, Biden was down six points: 44 to 38. When asked about a hypothetical match-up with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Biden was behind by five points: 42 to 37. Overall, 56 percent of the people surveyed expressed disapproval of Joe Biden. A noteworthy 58 percent of Democrats in the poll do not want Biden to run again.

People Are Concerned About Biden’s Cognitive State

Voters in the survey appear to be worried about the president’s age and mental sharpness. Twenty-six percent said he is too old for another term. Just 32 percent of those questioned agreed with the statement that Biden “has the mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively as president.” Sixty-three percent said he does not have the mental sharpness to serve confidently.

 

At Least One News Host Is Worried  

The host of the ABC News Sunday program “This Week” reacted fearfully to these numbers. “This poll is just brutal for President Biden,” said veteran broadcaster George Stephanopoulos

“I’ve got to admit I have a hard time wrapping my head around that,” he said. “You’ve got one in five people who say they believe President Trump should face criminal charges, but they would still vote for him.”

Democrat Activist Is Losing Sleep

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile couldn’t believe the numbers and said she stayed up past midnight trying to inform her contacts about the bad news for Biden. “They are still unable to get a real good, strong message to the American people, not just on the accomplishments, but where they want to take the country.,” she said.

No Credit Where Credit Is Due

Aside from concerns about Biden’s age and health, voters do not seem to be giving Joe Biden credit for what he has achieved during his presidency. He helped bring in the Inflation Reduction Act, which had historic monetary support for the green energy transition. He oversaw the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. He showed leadership on the bill to protect marriage for the LGBTQ community and interracial couples. 

Many predicted that the economy would be in recession by now, but Joe Biden claims his policies are responsible for a very low unemployment rate of 3.4 percent. The April jobs report was strong again with 253,000 new jobs being created.

The problem is that people do not feel like they are better off than they were before the pandemic. In a recent economic poll, 49 percent of Americans said they would not be able to cover a $400 expense should it arise. This percentage is up from 32 percent last November. That means more people are living off their credit cards without an adequate emergency fund. Americans have nearly a trillion dollars in credit card balances. The debt balance has gone up $130 billion since 2021. High interest rates make the money people owe on their credit cards go up even more. Meanwhile, buying a house is also more difficult due to ballooning mortgage rates.

Inflation has remained at 5 percent with people suffering from stagnant wages or they are trapped in low-paying jobs. The wealth effect, when Americans spend more money if they feel flush with cash, is waning. Retirement funds are down since Trump left office, with the S&P 500 falling 20 percent last year, although that has inched up in 2023 to a gain of around 8 percent. 

People also believe that crime and mass shootings are going up under Biden’s watch. Mounting bank failures have caused people to withdraw their savings even though most accounts are guaranteed up to $250,000 by the FDIC. There is also a feeling that democracy is under threat due to extremist views from some Trump supporters, which is something Biden can use to criticize Republicans. 

Overall, voters are fearful, and Biden’s mental acuity does not appear to reassure them. They don’t feel better off financially and they don’t give his administration credit for legislative wins. Biden must convince voters that his policies are responsible for the upside of the economy – low unemployment and excellent job creation and for a lower likelihood of a recession. But if Americans are still struggling financially, they will vote with their wallets, and this could mean they may send Biden packing in 2024. 

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