More than 50 percent of Americans disapprove of President Biden’s job performance and 71 percent believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction, according to a poll released Sunday.
The president’s job approval ratings have been tanking since April, when 52 percent gave him a thumbs up and 39 percent disapproved, according to an NBC News poll.
The latest survey, which follows the track of other polls, showed Biden underwater, with 54 percent disapproving and 42 percent approving.
The paltry poll numbers come just days before a crucial gubernatorial contest in Virginia pitting Democrat Terry McAuliffe against Republican Glenn Youngkin, a race that’s seen as a bellwether for next year’s midterms.
“Democrats face a country whose opinion of President Biden has turned sharply to the negative since April,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
“The promise of the Biden presidency — knowledge, competence and stability in tough times — have all been called into question,” Horwitt added.
Biden’s numbers are also falling over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the economy.
In April, 69 percent approved and 27 percent disapproved of his handling of COVID, but the recent poll shows that approval rate has fallen to 51 percent and the disapproval rate has climbed to 47 percent.
On the economy, Americans gave him a 52 percent approval rating in April and a 43 percent disapproval rating.
But that has now fallen to 40 percent approval and risen to 57 percent disapproval.
Among the 71 percent of Americans who say the country is heading in the wrong direction are 48 percent of Democrats, 93 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of independents.
“When you see a wrong track of 71 percent, it is a flashing red light,” McInturff said. “These folks are telling us that this is not going well.”
Asked about the 2022 midterm elections, 47 percent said they favor a Democratic-controlled Congress, while 45 percent opt for Republican control — a rate basically unchanged from August.
Republicans hold double-digit advantages over Democrats on border security (27 percentage points), inflation (24 points), crime (22 points), and the economy (18 points).
Democrats have double-digit leads on climate change (24 points), coronavirus (12 points), and abortion (10 points).
The poll surveyed 1,000 adults between Oct. 23-26
It has a plus/minus 3.1 percentage points margin of error.
