Joe Biden’s approval rating as president fell in March to near the lowest of his presidency as bank failures and stubborn inflation continue to drag his numbers down.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll out today shows just 38% of Americans approve of Biden’s performance as president — barely above the 36% the president scored last July.
Biden has either made most Americans unhappy or has disappointed them. His policies have generated fierce opposition from Republicans and independents, while many on the left say they’re disappointed that Biden hasn’t done more.
Biden’s marks on the economy are even lower. Just 31% approve of Biden’s stewardship of the national economy, about where it’s been over the course of the last year.
The difference between Biden’s approval overall and his approval on the economy is driven largely by Democrats, 76% of whom say they approve of how he’s handling his job as president while 63% approve of his handling of the economy. Few Republicans approve of Biden on either count.
Democrats under the age of 45 feel less positive about Biden, causing a drag on his approval ratings. Just 54% approve of the president’s economic leadership, compared to 72% of Democrats older than 45. Similarly, just 66% of Democrats under 45 approve of Biden overall, compared to 85% of older Democrats.
Only about a quarter of Americans say the national economy is good or that the country is headed in the right direction, the poll shows. Those numbers have also fluctuated only slightly over the last few months.
“We poured so much money into the system — that’s a little frustrating that we were shocked that we got hit by inflation when a lot of our policies were inflationary,” said Republican Michael McComas of Michigan.
That same poll had some interesting things to say about Americans’ attitudes toward the recent bank crisis. Just 10% of Americans express confidence in the U.S. banking system, down from 22% in 2020. And 56% think that banks are underregulated — a position taken by both parties.
Otherwise, Americans are not optimistic about the future of the economy.
There’s been little change in the already glum assessment of the U.S. economy since a month ago, before the recent banking system turmoil, the poll shows. Only a quarter say national economic conditions are good; three quarters call them poor.
But 43% of Democrats call the economy good, versus just 7% of Republicans.
About half of U.S. adults describe their personal financial situations as good, a drop from last year when about 6 in 10 said that. About 6 in 10 Democrats and about half of Republicans give positive assessments of their current finances.
With a Democrat in the White House, Republicans are more likely than Democrats (36% versus 15%) to say their finances will get worse over the next year; 38% of Democrats say they expect their finances to improve, versus 22% of Republicans.
Joe Biden is a long way from getting a 50% approval rating from the voter — a sure sign that his re-election bid is in serious trouble. As long as inflation remains the number one concern of voters, Biden should seriously contemplate retirement.
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