The collapse of Joe Biden’s presidency is a remarkable story that perhaps too few people appreciate. Biden took office with respectable approval ratings, but the goodwill of the American people was slowly squandered by his pursuit of a radical left-wing agenda and his general lack of competence in handling the key issues facing the country, such as rising inflation and the border crisis. After his approval ratings were on a slow downward trend for months, Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is what ultimately sent them underwater.
I admit I was surprised that, once Afghanistan left the front pages, Biden’s approval ratings never recovered. But, alas, here we are, seven months since the Afghanistan debacle, and he has failed to regain the confidence of the American people.
The White House had clearly hoped Biden could “reset” his presidency with his State of the Union Dumpster Fire address. But any possible bounce he got from that was short-lived, and his embattled presidency remains in worse shape today than it was in the first weeks following the fall of Afghanistan.
Biden tried riding on the courageous coattails of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but that hasn’t fooled Americans into being confident in his handling of the ongoing invasion, which is threatening to become the next World War. The latest national NBC News poll found that Biden’s overall job approval has dropped to 40% — the lowest of his presidency in that poll.
In addition, 71% of Americans believe the country is headed on the wrong track.
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Of course, while the poll is devastating for Joe Biden, NBC News nevertheless tried to find some good news for him. “The survey does contain some silver linings for Biden and Democrats, including an increase in those who approve of the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic,” NBC News reports. “Also, nearly 80 percent of Americans agree with Biden’s decision to ban Russian oil, even if it means higher gas prices.”
The network concedes, however, that “the American public hasn’t yet rallied around Biden as a result of the war in Ukraine.”
“One thing that has not happened — at least yet — is a rally around the flag reaction with Joe Biden’s job rating increasing,” pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates told NBC News. “The potential for that to occur could still happen if America becomes more directly involved, but at this stage, it is not there.”
Not likely, in my opinion. According to the poll, a plurality of Americans (38%) blame Biden and his policies for the historic increases in inflation, compared to just 6% who pin it on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden’s efforts to impugn Putin for the increase in inflation haven’t worked.
Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinions Strategy, who conducted the poll with Horwitt for NBC News, didn’t see the silver lining that Horwitt did. “What this poll says is that President Biden and Democrats are headed for a catastrophic election.”
“You cannot get down to the low 40s in presidential approval unless you have strained your own base,” McInturff added.
The poll was taken between March 18-22, which means that even Biden’s “historic” Supreme Court nomination has failed to boost his presidency. The president has little hope of obtaining the reset he so desperately desired.
