Approval Rating Nears Biden's Low Point

Approval of President Biden's job performance has dipped slightly since a month ago, nearing the lowest point of his presidency as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and inflation that remains high. That's according to a new poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which shows there have been modest fluctuations in support for Biden over the past several months. The president notched an approval rating of 38% in the new poll, after 45% said they approved in February and 41% in January. His ratings hit their lowest point of his presidency last July, at 36%, the AP reports, as the full weight of rising gasoline, food, and other costs began to hit US households.

Interviews with poll respondents suggest the public has mixed feelings about Biden; when it comes to the president, people generally do not swing between the extremes of absolute loyalty and aggressive loathing that have been a feature of this era's divided politics. "Neutral towards approve," Andrew Dwyer, 30, said of his sentiment on Biden. "I don't think he's the best at representing my position and issues. But I know being president involves compromises." Dwyer, a data analyst in Milwaukee, said he voted for the president in 2020 and considers himself to be liberal. He thinks a healthier economy will emerge after the sometimes-painful steps Biden has taken to boost it.

Only about a quarter of Americans say that the national economy is good or that the country is headed in the right direction, the poll shows. Those numbers have also fluctuated only slightly over the last few months. Ratings of Biden's handling of foreign policy (39%) and climate change (41%) are about on par with his overall approval ratings. Seventy-four percent of Democrats and 9% of Republicans approve of Biden on foreign policy, while 67% of Democrats and 17% of Republicans approve of his handling of climate change. The March 16-20 poll reports a margin of error of 4 percentage points either way. (More President Biden stories.)