Biden approval slips to 38 percent: Gallup

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
President Joe Biden, accompanied by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, pauses while speaking in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

President Biden’s approval rating has slipped to 38 percent, near his all-time low, in the latest Gallup survey.

The poll released Friday found that 38 percent of respondents approve of Biden’s performance in the White House, while 59 percent disapprove.

Pollsters also discovered low ratings for Biden’s handling of several key issues facing the country.

For example, 40 percent of respondents support his handing over the war in Ukraine, and 30 percent approve of Biden’s response to the war in Gaza. Only 33 percent approve of the job he is doing on other foreign affairs.

The president also received low ranks for the economy, with 36 percent approving of Biden’s efforts to turn it around following the pandemic. His approval for handling the economy has gone up 4 points since November, Gallup noted, and the economy itself continues to perform well.

Immigration remains one of the biggest concerns, with just 28 percent of respondents approving of how Biden is handling a migrant surge at the U.S. border.

According to the survey, Democrats generally support Biden with the economy and his handling of the Russia-Ukraine war and foreign affairs. But opinions about the Israel-Hamas war and the southern border are less favorable among respondents who identify as Democrats; he holds a “bare” majority among them on those issues, securing a 55 percent approval on immigration and 51 percent on the Middle East conflict.

His handling of the economy helped Biden make up some ground with independent respondents, but their opinions on the other topics remained lower, Gallup noted.

Very few Republican respondents support Biden on “any of the issues measured,” the survey giant said. Just 3 percent of Republicans approve of Biden’s immigration efforts and 4 percent said the same about the economy.

Gallup noted Biden’s approval rating has not risen above 44 percent since August 2021. The survey giant said his average approval rating was 39.8 percent during his third year in office, the second-worst rating among presidents elected after World War II.

The president’s approval rating reached a high of 57 percent in January and April of 2021, but has declined in the two years since. The lowest rating he received was 37 percent in April 2023.

“Looking ahead to November, history suggests that Biden has significant work to do to improve his approval rating among independents as well as Democrats if he is to win a second term,” Gallup wrote, noting that an incumbent who wins reelection typically has at least a 50 percent approval rating.

The survey was conducted Feb. 1-20 among 1,016 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Tags 2024 presidential election Biden approval rating Economy Gallup immigration Israel-Hamas war Joe Biden Russia-Ukraine war

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