Biden’s approval rating drops to 42%, another dire poll shows

President Joe Biden’s approval rating continues its downward spiral, hitting the 42% mark in a new poll out Wednesday. 

In the new NPR/Marist poll Biden’s approval rating sits at the lowest recorded in the survey since he took office. And 50% disapprove of the job he’s doing. 

Inflation, which is soaring around the country, took the top spot among voter concerns at 39%, followed by wages at 18%, labor shortages at 11% and unemployment and gas prices was tied at 9%.

‘Regardless of strong job numbers or the soaring stock market, Americans are worried about the economy and the reason is inflation,’ Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, told NPR. 

Biden has suffered declining approval ratings as inflation soared to 6.2% its highest point since November 1990, which has led to increases in the cost of essentials like food and gas. 

A Nov. 18 Quinnipiac University Poll showed Biden’s approval rating at 36%, the lowest of his presidency.

His approval sits at 41% in the RealClearPolitics polling average. 

Amid his sagging numbers and concerns about his health, Biden and a loyal group of advisers are reassuring Democratic allies he will seek a second term in the White House.

Biden, 79, has said both publicly and privately he will run again in 2024 but the behind-the-scenes outreach shows how jittery Democrats are about their leader and who would replace him at the top of the ticket should he not be on the ballot.  

The chatter about Biden’s political future comes as his approval rating sits in the low 40s, the party is suffering from in-fighting, the Democratic candidate lost the Virginia’s gubernatorial race, and inflation soars around the country – along with the prices of food and gas.

His advisers are making the calls to party faithful, The Washington Post reported while Biden privately told donors at a virtual fundraiser this month he is running again.

His travel schedule appears geared toward a second bid – he was in New Hampshire last week, the home of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. He was also in Michigan, another important 2024 state, and travels to North Carolina on Monday. He regularly visits Pennsylvania, another big state if he plans on seeking a second term. And he’s made stops in Florida and Ohio.

He would formally announce his bid for a second term after next year’s midterm election. 

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive in Nantucket Tuesday evening to spend the Thanksgiving holiday 

Despite this some Democrats have doubts about Biden, who is the nation’s oldest president, to run again – particularly given the more rigorous campaign schedule expected to be in place in 2024 after the 2020 campaign was conducted mostly virtually due to the COVID pandemic.

Florida trial lawyer John Morgan, who was a top 2020 Biden donor, told The Washington Post he was unsure whether Biden would seek reelection.

‘What is his health going to be in the next three years?’ Morgan said. ‘All you have to do is look at the mortality tables in America to understand what I’m saying.’

Biden has his first medical check-up as president on Friday and his doctor pronounced him ‘fit for duty’ after extensive physical and neurological checks. But the doctor noted Biden is coughing more due to acid reflux and walking more stiffly, which was attributed to ‘significant spinal arthritis.’