Biden approval rating hits new low in AP poll

President Biden’s approval rating has hit a new low in the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, a sign that most Americans disapprove of the way Biden is handling his job as president one year into his term.

Forty-three percent of respondents said they somewhat or strongly approve of the way Biden is handling his job as president, compared to 56 percent who said they somewhat or strongly disapprove of Biden’s performance.

The poll, conducted from Jan. 13 to Jan. 18, reflects the president’s lowest approval rating, as recorded by the AP and NORC, since he entered office. Biden entered office with a 61 percent approval rating in January 2021, which fell to 48 percent by October and December. Now, that number is slipping even further.

The new numbers come after a difficult few months for Biden, who faced a host of difficulties in the second half of his first term: a surge in COVID-19 cases, the United States’ messy withdrawal from Afghanistan and rising inflation.

Gallup reported earlier this week that Biden’s first-year approval rating came in at 48.9 percent, which is lower than many other presidents but ranked higher than his immediate predecessor, former President Trump.

Biden was asked about his waning poll numbers during his marathon press conference on Wednesday, pressed on how he plans to win back moderates and independents who supported him in 2020 but, according to polls, are now unhappy with how he is handling his job.

The president responded, “I don’t believe the polls.”

Thursday’s poll from the AP-NORC also included a grim assessment of Biden’s reelection prospects: Only 28 percent of respondents said they want to see the president run for reelection in 2024, while 70 percent said they do not. Only 48 percent of Democrats said they want to see another Biden campaign.

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,161 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.