are driving the political agenda, rising inflation, a series of high
profile shootings and the overturning of Roe versus Wade.
It's all dragging down President Biden's approval ratings in The
New York Times Sienna College poll. 60% of Americans say they disapprove
of the job the president's doing.
That includes a quarter of his own party and the concerning number
for Democrats running this year. More than two thirds of independent
voters say they disapprove of the president's job performance.
To discuss the political stakes at the moment. I'm joined now by
Amy Walter of the Cook Political report with Amy Walter and Tamara
Keith of NPR.
Welcome to you both on this Monday politics Monday. So Amy, what
everybody wants to know is why is this happening? Why is President
Biden doing so poorly in the polls a year and a half into his term
year and a half in and I also want to put this into context Studio.
This is one poll. But if you look at an average of all the polls,
the president's overall approval rating now at 38%. It is the lowest
approval rating we've seen at a president at this point in his term,
going all the way back to Eisenhower. So this is
Quite for Democrats, not a very good milestone for the president.
Not a great milestone. Why does he get there? You listed all of those
reasons in your opener, the economy, the mass shootings.
Covid. Now we have a sudden resurgence of a new variant. It feels
as if
One things are sort of out of control and to the president not really
feeling people not feeling like he has his hand firmly on the steering
wheel. He was elected in part by saying, I'm going to help us get
away from or at least navigate us through the chaos. Now it feels
like the chaos is still controlling.
Us as a country and the president feels too many people like he's
a step behind. For Democrats. The frustration is about a president
they don't feel is taking it to Republicans hard enough.
I talked to a lot of Democrats who say we want to see the president
fight harder against Republicans like Mitch McConnell not let him
drive the agenda and for independent voters. I do think it comes
to this sense of
They just feel overwhelmed by, um the economy and how much these
day to day increases in everything from groceries to rent to gas
has impacted their lives. Been watching this White house very closely.
What else do you see going on here? The American public is in a very
sour mood, and we've talked about this before, but, uh
Inflation is probably the one thing that maybe across the political
spectrum people can agree is something that is a real concern. Every
time you go fill up your tank. The price of gas is very high, though
it has been coming down in recent days.
Um, But in addition to that there are reasons that people on the
left feel like the country is going in the wrong direction, and they're
incredibly frustrated. Whether it be
The mass shootings and and feeling like, you know, the president
held a celebration today for for gun safety legislation that a lot
of people felt wasn't worthy of celebration that it it was an incremental
step at a time when people want radical change on abortion rights,
the same thing that there's this level of frustration that the president
just can't do more and so
The people on the left. Who you know Democrats 25% of Democrats.
Don't approve of the president's performance. That really takes a
hit into your numbers when your own party isn't fully behind you
and the reason that they have that reticence.
Is, as Amy says they want more. And also, I think that the White
House would argue that the challenge he faces right now is there
is no alternative. It's not Joe Biden versus someone else. It's just
How do you feel about the president? How do you feel about the country?
Well, not great. And so when Democrats are asked to dig a little
further, I mean, when Democrats are asked in this poll, whether
Joe Biden should run again. President Biden should run again. Amy
only 26%. This is Democrats say yes, He should 69% say somebody else
and when they are asked why
Democrats answer and I'm reading here. 33% cite his age. 32% cite
his job performance. 12% say they just would prefer somebody else
and 10%.
Say he's not progressive enough right now. If you are in the Biden
White House, you would say, Look, it's very early. People are understandably
frustrated about where things stand today. We have a long way to
go before we get to 2024. That is fair. But the fact that we haven't
even had a midterm election yet.
We don't even have the results of the midterm election yet, and a
quarter of Democrats saying they would support the president is a
is a pretty bleak number. We've been seeing this number, though,
for quite some time, Maybe not this high. But since the beginning
of the year about 50% of Democrats in polls have been saying they
like somebody else knew.
When you break it down for who? What they want to see. That's where
we get into the next question, right? Well, if it's not Biden, then
who and that's where
Even
you know, even people who follow politics for a living or in politics
for a living, say.
I don't know. Who would that be? And how would that happen? And where
I wanna I wanna will show everybody what the matchup is when you
match in my head to head against former President Trump. But Tam,
These are tough numbers from his own party. No. So when I saw these
numbers, I went and looked up this quote from March of 2020 that
sticks with me and I think potentially might explain some of this.
He said in March of 2020, this is this is President Biden. Look,
I see myself as a bridge. Not as anything else. There's an entire
generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future
of this country.
He, in a way, pitched himself as a transitional leader, and now he's
now he's saying I'm running for reelection in 2024. Well, all of
these voters in this poll are saying Wait, I thought you said you
were a transitional leader, and we're moving on to the next thing.
Um and and I think that because he presented himself in that way,
That's why these numbers were this way so early. And so I mean, just
I think we just actually showed these numbers to the viewers, Amy,
But when when these voters are asked about a match up, this is all
voters that match up between
Biden and Trump. It's 44 to 41. Biden has a little bit of an edge
is within the margin of error. But among independents, which, of
course everybody watches very closely, and you talk about the independence
a lot.
Former President Trump Slight edge 39 to 37 2 points. It's within
the margin of error, but it's a It's a warning. Sorry. Well, there
are two ways to look at. This one is to say Oh,
Again If you were in the bin White House, you say, See what we told
you was actually true that we are the only candidate that could beat
Donald Trump. But
You also say yes, but three point if we assume that's where things
sit
That that's basically where we were in 2020 and
Even though he won the popular vote. By that margin. He only won
the Electoral college by 40,000 votes, so we also don't have yet
a matchup between any other Democrat. What it feels like is those
those numbers are sort of locked in Amber. People who voted for Biden
are still going to vote for Biden. People voted for Trump Still going
to vote for Trump
With the section of people out there who are saying I don't even
want to have to make that choice right now. My guess is we're not
going to see either one of those candidates on the ballot in 2024
that voters have been telling us from
Very beginning of this year is they would like to see some new faces
on the ballot in any of that. It's It's a warning sign for the White
House right now. Well and not one that they really want to be Asked
about. Also, though, it is a long way they're saying he is running
against. Yes, absolutely saying it repeatedly. They are saying it,
um and and pushing back and making sure that the friends of Biden
talked to the reporters who are working on these stories. They want
to make it clear that he is running.
Um, if he were to say right now that he isn't running, then all of
the oxygen would go out of the room. Any effort to get his agenda
through would would hit ice and and you'd end up with all of the
attention focused on the intrigue and drama, which they don't want.
Absolutely not want absolutely.
All right. Tamara. Keith! Amy! Walter. Thank you Both. Thank you.
Mhm.