Biden insists ALL president’s approval ratings go up during crisis in downplaying Trump’s surge

Joe Biden downplayed Donald Trump’s approval rating boost during the coronavirus outbreak, claiming all president’s have seen a surge during times of crisis in the U.S.

‘I think that’s a typical American response,’ Biden told NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning. ‘In every single crisis we’ve had… president’s ratings have always gone up in crisis.’

He made reference to former President Jimmy Carter, who saw a surge from 31 per cent approval in October 1979 to 54 per cent by December 1979 after Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran in November and kidnapped seventy Americans.

Donald Trump’s approval rating has seen a boost in several polls as he holds daily briefings and works round-the-clock to address the continuing coronavirus crisis.

‘I think that’s a typical American response,’ Biden told host of NBC’s Meet the Press Chuck Todd on Sunday morning. ‘In every single crisis we’ve had… president’s ratings have always gone up in crisis’

Biden is attempting to downplay Trump’s approval rating boost in the midst of the coronavirus  outbreak as the former vice president became the presumed Democratic nominee earlier this month

A Washington Post-ABC News poll showed the president with 48 per cent approval on Friday, which is the first time that particular poll yielded results with Trump having a higher approval than disapproval.

The survey found that Trump’s approval rating got a boost of five points since mid-February, when Americans were last asked their impressions of the president.

Perhaps the most notable example of a crisis-surge for approval ratings was with former President George W. Bush after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Immediately before the attacks, Bush had a relatively high approval rating of 51 per cent, and about a week-and-a-half after the attacks, it skyrocketed to 89 per cent.

Biden told NBC’s Chuck Todd Sunday that despite the boost, Trump needs to act less childish and get the situation under control as the death rate from coronavirus doubled in just one day over the weekend from 1,000 to 2,000.

‘I hope we’re in a situation going into the fall where this is under control, where we’ve done all the right things and things are beginning to move, and the president is listening to scientists, as I said,’ Biden sad. ‘And stopping the, you know, the personal attacks on people that disagree with him. Let’s get away from the childishness of this and focus on the problem.’

Trump is up for reelection, and Biden is the presumed Democratic nominee who will take him on in November.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, however, has not yet dropped out of the primary race – but at this point, it would be nearly impossible for him to clinch the nomination.

Some aides close to Sanders said the progressive candidate feels the tides of the election could turn as coronavirus continues to rock the nation.

Trump, along with the coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence, have held daily press briefings at the White House to address the fast-spreading respiratory disease.

The president and his administration, with efforts headed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, have also worked with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to get three economic relief packages passed that will inject the economy and Americans with trillions.

On Friday, Trump signed the phase three stimulus bill, which includes direct checks for Americans who make $75,000 or less coming in the next few weeks.

Critics of Trump have lauded him in the past few weeks for appearing more presidential at briefings and taking a more somber stance on the outbreak.