Samuel Case, FISM News
Americans still have a highly negative view of President Joe Biden, the direction of the country, and the economy according to a recent AP poll despite a surprisingly strong midterm election cycle for Democrats.
The AP-NORC poll, conducted at the beginning of December, shows Biden has a 43% job approval rating, which is unchanged from October. Meanwhile, 54% of Americans disapprove of the president.
The public’s view of the country’s direction remains incredibly negative. A whopping 71% of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Only 28% say the country is heading in the right direction.
This negative outlook remains true across the political divide, including among Democrats whose outlook is mixed at best, with 44% saying the country is heading in the right direction.
Much of the issue appears to be the economy. The poll found 75% of those polled say the economy is “poor,” even though 57% say their own financial situation is good regardless of their political affiliation.
The poll notes, “Partisan differences persist when it comes to views of the national economy. Republicans have an extremely negative view of the condition of the country’s economy, while Democrats are more closely divided.”
Despite the negative polling results, President Biden has suggested he will not be correcting course, spurned on by weak Republican showing in the midterm elections.
Immediately following the elections, Biden said he would not “change anything” about his policy agenda.
“I’m not going to change — as a matter of fact, you know there’s some things I want to change and add to,” Biden said at the time.
This comes as President Biden continues to signal his intentions to run for reelection, with White House chief of staff Ron Klain suggesting he will officially decide “shortly after the holidays.” He added, “I expect the decision will be to do it.”