It’s like tossing a rock down a well and waiting for the splash. Only, in this case, Biden’s approval rating that’s falling down the well still hasn’t hit the bottom. It would seem improbable that a presidency that began with such anticipation and praise from Democrats everywhere would fall so far, so fast, yet here we are.
In Biden’s first year, Gallup reports, the numbers are terrible and this White House has become extremely polarizing despite promises to unify the country:
During his first year in office, an average of 48.9% of Americans approved of the job President Joe Biden was doing. Biden’s job approval ratings started relatively strong at 57%, but by September had plunged to 43%. A new Gallup poll finds 40% of U.S. adults approving of the job he is doing, his lowest to date.
Among post-World War II presidents elected to their first term, only Donald Trump had a lower first-year average rating, at 38.4%. Bill Clinton’s first-year average was similar to Biden’s, but all other first-year presidents averaged 57% or better.
Biden is sitting at 40% approval to 56% disapproval, the lowest to date for Gallup’s numbers. That’s one point away from former President Trump’s first-year approval of 39%.
If you recall, Trump was beleaguered by a faulty investigation into a hoax of colluding with Russia to rig the 2016 election. Those allegations and falsehoods dogged his first year, and his approval never quite recovered.
Biden, on the other hand, has fawning media and had plenty of opportunities to demonstrate his competence and ability to bring the country together. He failed.
Afghanistan was the big kicker to destroying Biden’s approval rating, but it’s also the compounded failures one after the other that’s buried the numbers:
After a messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August, marred by a terrorist attack at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. troops, his approval fell further and has yet to show signs of improvement. In the latest survey, 40% of Americans approve and 56% disapprove of the job he is doing, as the U.S. is plagued by the highest inflation in four decades and another surge of COVID-19 cases, this time fueled by the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
There’s no hiding those failures, we’re still living them. Once it became clear that Biden’s promises were empty, his advisors were unprepared, and his rhetoric was just as divisive as anyone else, his numbers began to tank.
For some reason, a lot of people expected more from Biden, but he’s always been a back-bench politician with a loudmouth from a liberal state that kept him secure in his Senate seat with no real competition. When Barack Obama plucked him as a running mate in 2008, it basically elevated Biden to a place he was unable to reach on his own despite multiple tries: The White House.
Now, still riding on the tails of President Obama, Biden is not cut out for the job of leading the country. His vision is limited and filled with partisan hackery. His temperament is crotchety, and his blame-game politics are business-as-usual in a town marred by mistrust and misdeeds.
It’s been a steady decline as this administration unraveled month by month:
Independents have abandoned Biden at a record pace, with many Democrats following suit:
The decline in Biden’s approval over the course of 2021 has mostly been seen among political independents, among whom 33% approve of the president now compared with ratings of 50% or higher during the first six months of his presidency.
However, the last two Gallup polls show the president’s support among his fellow Democrats is also slipping, to around 80% from 90% or higher prior to December.
Republicans’ approval of Biden has been exceedingly low, typically below 10%, while Democrats’ approval has generally been high.
Biden is losing Democrats in his own party as well, with more voters of all stripes realizing he’s spending way too much time on issues that don’t directly affect them or help the country. Biden is a hollow presidency and a hollow candidate. He’s being used right now by those around him to push an exceedingly progressive left-wing agenda, and it’s destroying any promises of moderation he promised during his campaign.
Biden’s upcoming plan for a White House reboot is sorely needed but likely destined to fail if it’s based on the same strategy of picking unwinnable partisan fights with senators in his own party.
The first year has been a losing situation for the country and a demonstration of why Joe Biden was never cut out to be Commander-in-chief.
