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White House ‘Deeply Frustrated’ Over Media Focus On Biden’s Horrendous Poll Numbers

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


White House officials say they are “deeply frustrated” with how the media has portrayed the polls, which show a negative picture of the Biden administration’s economic gains.

According to The Hill‘s reporting, “Someone in the Biden orbit also told The Hill part of the frustration is the disproportionate media focus on the polls that show Biden losing while ignoring polls that show him winning.”

Trump may have predicted the economy’s collapse under Biden’s administration, but inflation is falling, stock prices are soaring, and the unemployment rate is near “historic lows.” In addition, it seems like prices are going down after the pandemic.

However, per The Hill, economic progress is not getting the coverage needed to sway results in the polls.

A Biden official told The Hill that the lack of coverage is a “deep frustration.”

“One Biden ally said meetings have taken place because of ‘deep frustration’ over polls but that it did not reflect a panic over the president’s prospects,” The Hill reported.

A source from the Biden administration told The Hill that “the meetings are intended to discuss messaging based on his age and his accomplishments. There has been concern among his inner circle that the messaging has not been strong or consistent enough to break through with the public.”

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But with the election still several months away, the Biden administration is brushing off polls as irrelevant.

A new Gallup poll shows that Biden’s approval rating for his job has risen to 39%, up from 37% in October and November.

On five separate occasions throughout his presidency, his approval rating fell below 40%.

According to Gallup, Biden’s performance is the worst among modern presidents running for reelection at this stage of their term. The president and First Lady Jill Biden are reportedly venting their frustrations to close associates about Biden’s dismal approval rating.

“He complained that his economic message had done little to move the ball, even as the economy was growing and unemployment was falling, according to people familiar with his comments, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation,” according to the Post’s headline, which mentioned Biden’s “dismal poll numbers.”

The Gallup poll found that Independents’ opinions of Biden have been more unpredictable than those of rank-and-file Republicans, whose ratings have been firmly in the single digits since August 2021.

There has been a seven-point increase in support for Biden this month, following a record-low 27% in November. At 78%, Biden’s approval rating among Democrats is marginally lower than 83% a month ago.

Among the seven presidents who have served at this point in their first terms, Biden has the lowest approval rating at 39%.

Except for Donald Trump (45%) and Barack Obama (43%), all of the other candidates had approval ratings above 50% in the year they sought reelection.

Among those who voted for Clinton and Bush, 51% were satisfied with their jobs, while 54% were satisfied with Reagan and Carter. The 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein in mid-December gave George W. Bush the highest approval rating of the eight presidents, standing at 58%.

Despite remaining in negative territory, December saw an improvement in Americans’ confidence in the economy.

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Approximately 33% of adults in the United States rate the current economic situation as poor, while 45% rate it fair, and just 3% rate it good. In addition, 68 percent of Americans feel the economy is getting worse, 28 percent feel it is getting better, and 4 percent think it is remaining unchanged.

An increase from last month’s -40 and a significant increase from the Great Recession-era record low of -72, the resulting Economic Confidence Index reading of -32 is encouraging. Since July of 2021, the ECI has been going down. Several positive economic trends have occurred this month, including falling gas prices, rising stock prices, low unemployment, and moderate inflation.

Even though Americans’ perceptions of the economy have improved slightly, when asked to identify the most pressing issue confronting the United States, the majority of respondents still cite inflation (12%) and the economy (14%).

Additionally, 16% of Americans rank immigration and the government as top concerns. Out of all the issues that Republicans have brought up, 37% rank immigration as the most pressing.

As he faces a challenging reelection campaign in 2024, Biden has the lowest job approval rating of any modern president. Even though there have been some encouraging signs regarding the economy and people are feeling more optimistic about it, it is still a major worry.

On top of managing the economy, directing US involvement in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and dealing with a crisis at the southern U.S. border, Biden has a lot on his plate. The Republican presidential nominee in 2024 will likely make immigration a major issue in his campaign, given the issue’s significance to Republicans. Biden should brace himself for this.