President Biden Struggles to Regain Footing as Approval Rating Sinks to All-Time Low
President Biden’s approval rating during his first 9 months in comparison to Presidents Obama and Trump. Source: Statista
Having started off his presidency with a strong base of support following the end of the tumultuous Trump presidency, President Joe Biden has seen a drop in support across the board in the past month. According to a recent Des Moines Register poll, less than one-third of Iowans approve of the job President Biden is doing and 62% of Iowans disapprove of his presidency so far. His current 31% approval rating in the state shows a 12% drop in support for the current president.
President Biden’s rise in disapproval has been driven primarily by a drop in support among independent voters. 62% of independent voters in Iowa disapprove of the president, a troubling shift for a president who won the 2020 election by winning over moderate voters. Biden’s 32% approval rating is lower than both Obama and Trump’s lowest approvals in the state during their presidencies.
When asked why they disapproved of the president, a majority of voters pointed to the withdrawal from Afghanistan as the primary reason. A mere 22% of Iowans polled approved of the president’s handling of Afghanistan, while a sizable 69% disapproved. One political Independent from the poll cited the way that the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan as the reason he disapproved as opposed to the action of leaving. Even 21% of Democrats polled disapprove of the President’s handling of the withdrawal.
While Iowa has trended red in recent years, this notable drop in support can also be seen all across the country. President Biden’s national approval rating dropped to 43% this past week after slipping below 50% for the first time this past month. While a majority of presidents have typically seen a drop in approval after their first few months in office, President Biden’s should be particularly concerning for him with midterms approaching.
With Democrats holding extremely thin majorities in both chambers of Congress, Biden’s approval across the nation will be extremely important during the 2022 midterms, which are only a little over a year away. If President Biden hopes to achieve any of his signature policy proposals while in office, democrats will need to protect and expand their majorities in both chambers. This will not be an easy task. Historically, the president’s party always suffers losses during the midterm elections, and having a president with approval from less than half of voters will only make matters worse.
President Biden must attempt to increase his base of support across the country and is banking on his “Build Back Better” agenda in Congress to do so. With two important infrastructure bills approaching votes in Congress, Biden is working intensely to maintain support for both bills within his party. While centrist Democrat senators are refusing to support the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill, progressive Democrat representatives are refusing to support the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the Senate passes the larger plan. This spells trouble for a president relying on the passage of both bills to win back support across the country. President Biden will have to increase his popularity if he wants his party to stand any chance of staying in power for the second half of his term, and he will need the support of all members of his party to do so.