Joe Biden's approval slumps to new low as poll shows clear advantage for GOP in midterm

US President Joe Biden’s approval rating has plunged to a fresh low, mainly because of negative views among Democrats and independents, according to a new poll. Joe Biden took the office earlier this year in January, during a time when the US was struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19 and revive the pandemic-hit economy. In a sharply divided nation, his presidency began with a slight majority approving of his performance, however, his standing has steadily dropped since midsummer as the majority of Americans disapprove of the way he has handled the economy. 

According to a joint poll conducted by the Washington Post-ABC News, Biden’s overall approval rating is at 41%, down from 50% in June and 44% in September. The survey conducted telephonically last week revealed that 53% of respondents disapprove of the way Biden has handled his job as the President of the United States. The survey showed that if elections were held today, 46% of adults in America would back the Republican candidate for Congress and 43% would support the Democratic candidate. 

As per the poll, around half of Americans overall as well as political independents blame Biden for accelerating inflation. Over six in ten US citizens say that the President has not accomplished much after 10 months in office. Overall, the latest survey offers a set of harsh judgement about Biden’s performance and the state of the economy. As per the survey, almost three-quarters of respondents (70%) said that the economy is in bad shape, including 38% who characterise the state of the nation’s economy as “poor”. 

80% of Republicans disapprove of Biden 

The poll also sends a stark warning to Democrats about their prospects in the 2022 midterm elections. It found that 80% of Democrats are positive about their party’s leader, compared to 94% in June. Moreover, it also said that barely four in ten Democrats strongly approve of Biden today, which is down from about 7 in 10 who did so in June. 80% of Republicans disapprove of Biden’s presidency, as do 45% independents. 

However, it is to mention that despite a low approval rating, Biden has performed better than his predecessor on the poll conducted after 10 months in office. According to the Washington Post, around 63% of respondents believe that the Democratic leader has achieved not much, little or nothing after being 10 months in office. 65% of respondents had a similar opinion about Trump after a similar period in 2017. 

(Image: AP)