[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The approval rating of U.S. President Joe Biden, now in his second year in office, has hit another low. Only 28% of respondents said they want him to run again in the 2024 presidential election.
According to a poll released on the 20th (local time) by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center (NORC), only 43% of respondents positively evaluated President Biden's job performance on the occasion of his first anniversary in office. This is even lower than the historic low of 48% recorded last December. On the other hand, 56% of respondents gave a negative evaluation of Biden's job performance.
Only 28% of respondents want President Biden to seek re-election in 2024. Even among Democratic supporters, only 48% supported his re-election. The Associated Press described this as a "clear reversal compared to the early days of Biden's administration." Earlier, in July last year, the same poll showed a 59% positive evaluation of Biden's job performance, but the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the surge in COVID-19 cases negatively affected public opinion, causing the approval rating to fall below 50% within a few months.
In particular, the survey confirmed that a significant number of Americans view President Biden's COVID-19 response and economic policies negatively. Only 45% of respondents supported Biden's COVID-19 response efforts. This shows a clear downward trend from 66% in July last year and 57% in December last year.
The economic policy is even more negatively viewed. Only 37% supported President Biden's economic policies. This is partly due to the fact that many Americans are struggling with their livelihoods as the inflation rate in the U.S. recently hit its highest level in 40 years. The Associated Press expressed concern, saying, "Rapidly rising prices have increased anxiety about Biden's economic policies," adding, "This raises household spending and offsets wage increases." In December last year, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) surged 7.0% year-on-year, marking the largest increase in about 40 years.
In this poll, only 16% of respondents said the U.S. has become more united since the Biden administration took office. In contrast, 43% claimed the country has become more divided. Over the past year, Biden's average approval rating was 48.9%, the lowest among presidents in history except for former President Donald Trump (38.4%).
Nearly half of the respondents expressed doubts about President Biden's physical and mental health. At a press conference marking his first anniversary in office held at the White House the day before, when a reporter from an internet media outlet mentioned "mental health," implying dementia due to old age, Biden responded, "I don't know."
Regarding high inflation, when asked whether Americans should continue to see such high prices at grocery stores and gas stations, he shifted responsibility to the central bank, saying, "It depends on the Federal Reserve (Fed)." When asked about his popularity, he also said, "I don't trust polls."
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