A new poll has found that more than a third of Americans (37 percent) give President Biden’s first year in the White House a failing grade as his administration continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and the ongoing border crisis a year after taking office.
Only 11 percent of registered voters gave the president an “A” grade, according to the survey conducted by Politico and Morning Consult. Twenty percent gave him a “B,” 18 percent graded him with a “C” and 12 percent gave him a “D.”
Even members of Biden’s own party proved to be harsh graders.
The poll found that only 23 percent of voters who identified as Democrats gave the president an “A,” while 38 percent and 25 percent gave him “B” and “C” grades, respectively. More than two-thirds of Republicans (69 percent) graded Biden with an “F,” while 17 percent gave him a “D,” 9 percent gave him a “C” and 4 percent gave him a “B.”
Most independent voters graded Biden’s first year in office as average or failing, with 33 percent giving the president an “F” and 24 percent giving him a “C.” Of the remainder, 18 percent gave Biden a “B,” 13 percent handed out a “D” grade and just 7 percent gave him an “A.”
Turning to specific issues, Biden got the highest percentage of “A” grades (18 percent) for his handling of COVID-19, though a plurality of respondents (31 percent) still gave him an “F” on that issue. The highest percentage of “F” grades was for Biden’s handling of the national debt (41 percent), followed closely by the issues of immigration and “restoring unity” (40 percent each).
After a year marred by a chaotic pullout from Afghanistan, the ongoing pandemic, and decades-high inflation, more than half of all voters (52 percent) said they agreed with the statement “Joe Biden is a weak leader,” while just 40 percent said they disagreed. By contrast, just 37 percent said they agreed with the statement “Joe Biden is a strong leader.”
When asked if they felt Biden is capable of leading the country, the majority of respondents (51 percent) said they somewhat or strongly disagreed. Forty-three percent said they somewhat or strongly agreed and 6 percent had no opinion.
Similarly, 50 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement “Joe Biden is trustworthy,” while 53 percent disagreed that the president “keeps his promises” and 58 percent found fault with the statement “Joe Biden is energetic.” Fifty-six percent of voters also disagreed that Biden is “a clear communicator,” while half of respondents disagreed that the president “cares about people like me.”
While Biden has three more years left in his presidency, voters are not confident he will improve.
The survey found that 42 percent of respondents believe the president’s performance will “get worse,” while 29 percent expressed hope it will “get better” and 23 percent said it will stay the same.
Biden’s job approval rating has steadily dropped throughout his presidency, and Wednesday’s survey brings the average rating to a new low. According to calculations by RealClearPolitics, only 40.9 percent of Americans approve of the 46th president while an average of 53.3 percent disapprove.
The lack of faith in Biden could prove to be an issue for Democrats headed into the 2022 midterms as they face a steep climb to keep the majority in the House and Senate. So far, 28 House Democrats have announced their intent not to run again while only 13 Republicans have made the same decision.
The president will likely face questions on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign policy and other issues during a Wednesday afternoon press conference — his first solo meeting with the media since March last year.
The survey was conducted from Jan. 15 to 16 and interviewed 2,005 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points.
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