Jonathan Ernst | Reuters More Americans now think President Joe Biden is doing a bad job than at any point in his presidency, according to a major public opinion poll released Wednesday. Just 31% of American adults said they approve of how Biden is handling his job, while 60% disapprove, according to the Quinnipiac University poll. Biden’s approval ratings among registered voters also hit a record low in the Quinnipiac poll, with just 33% of voters saying they liked the job he was doing and 59% disapproving. The findings came a day after a Reuters/Ipsos poll found the Democrat’s approval rating had fallen to 36 percent, a record low in that survey.
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Read more about CNBC’s political coverage: In the Quinnipiac survey, Biden received the lowest job ratings for his handling of the economy, with just 28% of respondents approving of his job in that area. This result follows another poll finding: 34% of Americans said inflation was the most pressing issue facing the United States today. Inflation in June rose 9.1% from a year earlier, the fastest pace in more than 40 years. Biden’s approval ratings also dipped when respondents were asked about his handling of gun violence, foreign policy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The only marginal bright spot was Biden’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, where 50% of respondents approved of the job he was doing, while 43% disapproved. The Quinnipiac poll had even worse news for Biden when it came to his intention to seek a second term in 2024. A whopping 71% percent of respondents said they would not want to see Biden run for president that year, and just 24% said they wanted a second Biden term in the White House. Many of Biden’s colleagues appear ready to see him out, according to the poll, which polled 1,523 adults on the phone between Thursday and Sunday and had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. A majority of Democrats, 54 percent, said they would not want to seek re-election in two years, according to the survey. 40% of Democrats said they would like to see Biden run. That contrasts with support for Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, from Trump’s Republican colleagues. A total of 69% of Republicans said they would like Trump to run to return to the White House in 2024, while 27% did not. Among all Americans, 60% said they did not want to see Trump as the GOP nominee. “There is scant enthusiasm for a repeat of either a Trump or a Biden presidency,” said Tim Malloy, a poll analyst at Quinnipiac University. “But while Trump still dominates his base, President Biden is underwater when it comes to support from his own party.” Registered voters were nearly even when asked about the upcoming midterm elections, which will determine which political party holds a majority in both houses of Congress. A total of 45% of respondents said they want the Democratic Party to retain control of the House of Representatives, while 44% said they prefer Republicans to take control of that chamber. When asked which party should control the Senate, it was a dead tie: 45 percent said Democrats, while the same percentage said they wanted Republicans in charge. Democrats currently hold a majority in the Senate thanks to two independent senators who join the 48-member Democratic caucus and Vice President Kamala Harris, who can break a tie in the 100-member House.
