Biden’s approval rating lingers at 40%, near his lowest, as US economy remains top worry

WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden’s public approval rating held steady at 40 per cent in early July, close to the lowest levels of his presidency, as economic worries continued to trouble Americans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week.

The three-day online poll, which asked Americans, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president?” and ended on Monday, showed a marginal decrease from his 41 per cent approval rating a month earlier, within the survey’s three percentage-point margin of error.

The largest number of respondents – 21 per cent – cited the economy as their top concern, followed by 15 per cent who cited crime or corruption.

The White House in recent weeks has kicked off a series of events aimed at lifting Americans’ dour mood about the economy, touting what it calls the

Democratic president’s “Bidenomics” agenda.

Mr Biden’s rating is identical to his Republican predecessor Donald Trump’s 41 per cent approval at this point in his presidency, a relatively low number compared to their immediate predecessors, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W. Bush.

Respondents were evenly split in their views of the Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down Mr Biden’s student loan forgiveness programme, with 49 per cent supporting the decision and 48 per cent opposed.

A majority – 60 per cent – said they supported the court’s move to end the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

Some 70 per cent of respondents said they would support term limits for Supreme Court justices, including 85 per cent of Democrats and 56 per cent of Republicans.

The poll was conducted following the high court’s term, which saw the court strike down college affirmative action programmes, as well as Biden’s student debt plan.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, and collected responses from 1,028 adults, using a nationally representative sample. REUTERS