Amid Europe’s largest land war since World War II, 7 in 10 Americans expressed low confidence in President Joe Biden’s ability to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a new NBC News poll, and 8 in 10 voiced worry that the war will increase gas prices and possibly involve nuclear weapons.
And during the nation’s largest inflation spike in 40 years, overwhelming majorities said they believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and disapproved of the president’s handling of the economy.
Recommended Videos
Those are some of the major findings of the new national NBC News poll, which found that Biden’s overall job approval rating had declined to 40 percent, the lowest level of his presidency. The survey also found that Republicans enjoyed a 2-point lead in answer to which party should control Congress ahead of November’s midterm elections.
“What this poll says is that President Biden and Democrats are headed for a catastrophic election,” said Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinions Strategy, who conducted this survey with Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates.
The poll was conducted between March 18-22, before the president’s overseas trip, where he was to meet with NATO allies, visit with U.S. troops in Poland and deliver a major speech on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase a people’s love for liberty. Brutality will never grind down their will to be free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia — for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness,” Biden said in Warsaw on Saturday.
The survey does contain some silver linings for Biden and Democrats, including an increase in those who said they approve of the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Also, nearly 80 percent of Americans said they agree with Biden’s decision to ban Russian oil, even if it means higher gas prices.
But what stands out in the poll is that the American public hasn’t yet rallied around Biden as a result of the war in Ukraine, said Horwitt, the Democratic pollster.
“One thing that has not happened — at least yet — is a rally around the flag reaction with Joe Biden’s job rating increasing. The potential for that to occur could still happen if America becomes more directly involved, but at this stage it is not there.”
Biden’s job rating among all adults participating in the poll stands at 40 percent who approve of his performance, and 55 percent who disapprove — the lowest mark of his presidency in the NBC News poll, though the movement is within the poll’s margin of error.
In January, Biden’s overall job rating stood at 43 percent approve, 54 percent disapprove.
The erosion in Biden’s approval rating has been across the board among key demographic groups, including Black respondents (from 64 percent approve in January to 62 percent now), women (from 51 percent approve to 44 percent), Latinos (from 48 percent to 39 percent) and independents (36 percent to 32 percent).
“You cannot get down to the low 40s in presidential approval, unless you have strained your own base,” said McInturff, the GOP pollster.
Seventy-one percent of Americans said they believe the nation is headed on the wrong track, versus 22 percent who said they believe it’s headed in the right direction, which is unchanged from January’s poll.
And on the issues, 51 percent of adults said they approve of Biden’s handling of the coronavirus (up 7 points from January), 42 percent approved of his handling of foreign policy (up 5 points), but only a third — 33 percent — approved of Biden’s handling of the economy (down 5 points).
Click here to see graphics and original story.