Poll: Biden’s approval rating falls on Covid-19 concerns
Americans’ approval of President Joe Biden’s handling of the pandemic slipped to 53 percent, while his job approval rating fell more slightly, as concerns about the U.S. Covid-19 response mounted, according to a poll released Wednesday.
The poll was conducted by Quinnipiac University and surveyed attitudes about topics including Biden’s handling of Covid-19, the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
The poll, which surveyed 1,290 respondents by phone and was conducted between July 27 and Aug. 2, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
It comes just over six months into Biden’s term, as his administration faces the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant and political discord about differing mask mandates around the country. The president has also been touting his ability to get a bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in Congress, a feat his predecessor was unable to accomplish — and one that, if successful, could back up the White House’s messaging that Biden can get things done.
In the Quinnipiac poll, the share of Americans who approved of the president’s Covid-19 handling fell to 53 percent, down 12 points from May. His job approval fell to 46 percent, from 49 percent in May. Approval of Biden’s handling of the economy also fell, with 43 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.
In terms of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the poll found that 65 percent of Americans say they support it. The reconciliation bill, too, has widespread support, with 62 percent saying they support a $3.5 trillion spending measure, according to the poll.
The poll found most Americans supported a congressional investigation into Jan. 6, a key area of Democratic support, though more than half also said they didn’t think the investigation would lead to key policy changes.
As far as the 2024 election goes, the poll found that about half of Americans think former President Donald Trump will run, while more than half think Biden won’t run. Biden said in March that his expectation is to run for reelection in 2024, and those close to Trump have signaled that he, too, may be moving forward with a plan to seek the presidency again.
Sixty percent of respondents in the poll said it would be bad for the country if Trump ran in 2024, while 48 percent said it would be bad for the country if Biden did.
The president’s approval rating in some other polls has also slipped recently as Covid-19 cases grow in areas across the U.S. and the Delta variant causes alarm for Americans. A CAPS-Harris Poll survey released on Monday showed his approval down 10 percent from June, when cases were down and the White House previewed a summer of independence from the virus.
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Author: POLITICO