After the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, Joe Biden has publicly sided with Israel. As encouraging as this support was, it always felt like a red herring to me.
Why? Part of it is because the Biden administration attempted to cover up the fact it had advance knowledge of the planned attack but chose not to alert Israel. The Biden administration’s constant kowtowing to Iran has also been a huge concern. A month before the attack, the Biden administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets and is reportedly considering $10 billion more, even though we know Iran helped plan and finance the attack on Israel.
Not only did Biden send $100 million in aid to Gaza knowing it would end up in the hands of Hamas, but he also won't sanction Hamas for using human shields. The Biden administration has been undermining Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hamas, scheming to delay Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza.
While Biden maintained his public support for Israel for some time, in recent weeks, we’ve seen him soften his stance. Biden has been increasing pressure on Israel for more “humanitarian pauses,” something Hamas wants, and criticism of the Israeli government’s efforts to eliminate Hamas has become more frequent.
Why? Because his public support of Israel over Hamas has been hurting his poll numbers. After expressing unwavering support for Israel after the Hamas attack, Gallup saw a double-digit decline in support from within his own party. His approval ratings are hitting all-time lows in various polls, and that decline is largely attributed to his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Related: So Much for the Political Epiphany of American Jews
"President Joe Biden’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency — 40% — as strong majorities of all voters disapprove of his handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll,” NBC reported on Sunday.
It was also the first time that Biden polled behind Donald Trump in a general election match-up poll in an NBC News survey. "The erosion for Biden is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza, and among voters ages 18 to 34, with a whopping 70% of them disapproving of Biden’s handling of the war."
“This poll is a stunner, and it’s stunning because of the impact the Israel-Hamas war is having on Biden,” said Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies, who conducted the poll with Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates. Foreign affairs not involving U.S. troops don’t typically have a significant impact on polling.
“Joe Biden is at a uniquely low point in his presidency, and a significant part of this, especially within the Biden coalition, is due to how Americans are viewing his foreign policy actions,” Horwitt said.
Horwitt nevertheless believes that Biden still has plenty of time to turn things around. Only 33% of voters support his handling of foreign policy, and he can’t exactly flip a switch and make the economy better — he’s clearly tried that multiple times and failed — so it seems inevitable that changing his strategy for the Israel-Hamas war is the easiest way to swing the polls back in his favor. The question is, will he do it? There’s no denying he’s under intense pressure to change course, and cracks are already emerging.
I wish I could say confidently that Biden will have Israel’s back, but frankly, I never believed he did in the first place.
