RUTHFULLY YOURS

THE 39.9% PRESIDENT. President Joe Biden’s job approval rating has slipped below 40% in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. As of this writing, it is 39.9%, versus a 54.4% disapproval rating.

Biden, of course, has been underwater in the polls for a long time. The last poll included in the RealClearPolitics average in which Biden had an approval rating higher than his disapproval rating was a Reuters-Ipsos survey from Dec. 17, 2021. In that poll, Biden had a job approval rating of 48%, versus a disapproval rating of 46%.

The last poll in which Biden’s job performance won the approval of a majority of voters was a Politico-Morning Consult survey from Aug. 16, 2021. Then, Biden had a job approval rating of 51%, versus a disapproval rating of 46%.

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Those days are gone. Yes, it’s entirely possible that the president’s rating will nose above 40% — it has done that before when he briefly dipped into the 30s — but Biden seems mired in a world in which about 40% or less of voters approve of the job he is doing and about 55% of voters disapprove.

How could it be otherwise? With prices rising 8.6% on an annualized basis in May — the price of groceries up 11.9%, gas up 48.7%, used cars up 16.1% — voters by far say that inflation is the most serious problem facing the nation today. And now the Federal Reserve, in a bid to bring inflation under control, has raised interest rates three-quarters of a percentage point, the biggest increase in almost 30 years, which greatly increases the risk of a recession.

That affects Americans in every area of their lives. To take just one, look at this chart from Axios of mortgage interest rates. They hit 6.22% on Wednesday — more than double from just a few months ago. That drastically increases the monthly payment for buyers who put 20% down to purchase a new or existing home and take out a mortgage on the rest. A house payment can soon become a crushing burden, especially with prices rising in so many other areas.

But here’s the thing. Unhappiness with Biden’s performance on the economy has spread to his performance in other areas. Basically, voters don’t approve of the job Biden is doing on anything. A new Fox News poll showed across-the-board disapproval. On his handling of inflation, the numbers are 23% approve, 71% disapprove. On handling the economy in general, 29% approve, 67% disapprove. On handling the question of guns, 33% approve, 60% disapprove. On handling the U.S.-Mexico border, 35% approve, 58% disapprove. On handling the war in Ukraine, 42% approve, 52% disapprove.

Fox also asked voters what they think is the most important issue in the midterm elections. Of course, inflation topped the list, with 41% listing it as the most important. The question of guns was far behind, at 12%. Then abortion, at 10%, and everything other than that, such as border security (7%), climate change (5%), crime (5%), election integrity (4%), voting rights (4%), the coronavirus pandemic (3%), and foreign policy (1%), was in single digits.

So another way of saying it is that voters disapprove of Biden’s performance in the areas they believe are most important. Not a good place for a president to be.

The Biden White House, against all reason, continues to believe that its problem is largely messaging. On Thursday morning, three top officials, communications director Kate Bedingfield, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon, and senior adviser Mike Donilon, went to Capitol Hill to search for ways to develop a more effective messaging strategy. They will need all of their skills.

Here’s one idea. You know what Biden could do to develop a more effective messaging strategy? Do a better job. Word would get out. More people would approve. The numbers would go up. It would be a real winner. If only the president could actually do it.

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