A new poll shows that less than 30% of Americans — and less than half of Democrats — want to see Biden run for reelection in 2024.
As the Biden presidency approached the one-year mark, the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that the Commander-in-Chief’s popularity is continuing to drop.
The Associated Press reported:
More Americans disapprove than approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, 56% to 43%. As of now, just 28% of Americans say they want Biden to run for reelection in 2024, including only 48% of Democrats…
It’s a stark reversal from early in Biden’s presidency. In July, 59% of Americans said they approved of Biden’s job performance in an AP-NORC poll. His approval rating dipped to 50% by late September in the aftermath of the chaotic and bloody U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and amid surging coronavirus infections and the administration’s fitful efforts to push economic, infrastructure and tax policies through Congress.
Biden said during a news conference that he does not “believe the polls.” The Associated Press, however, noted that his approval is lagging on a wide host of issues:
Just 45% say they approve of Biden’s handling of COVID-19, down from 57% in December and from 66% in July 2021. Americans are even more downbeat about his handling of the economy, with just 37% approving. Growing angst about his economic policies comes as inflation rose at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses and eating into wage gains.
Even beyond policy, Americans are worried about the President’s cognitive state. Only one-quarter of respondents were “very confident” that Biden “has the mental capability to serve effectively as president” or “is healthy enough to serve effectively as president.” Nearly half were not confident in Biden’s mental capability.
The White House has nevertheless constructed a glowing narrative about Biden’s first year — even tapping actor Tom Hanks to narrate a promotional video.
“I’ve long said it’s never been a good bet to bet against America,” Biden said in the video. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future. There’s nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.”
According to Axios, the video was produced by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which is now “spending several million dollars in leftover inaugural funds to air the ad on broadcast and cable TV today.” In a statement to Axios, the committee said: “In recognition of the President’s first year in office, the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee believed it was important to celebrate the strength and perseverance of the American people in the face of extraordinary adversity, just as we did a year ago today.”
Many social media users noted that the video closely resembles a moment from “The Simpsons Movie” in which Hanks says that “the U.S. government has lost its credibility, so it’s borrowing some of mine.”