President Joe Biden’s presidency is now six months old. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t realize how long Biden has been in office because Biden doesn’t generate anywhere near the same news interest (see Google searches) as his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, did.

The lack of a topsy turvy first few months has translated to Biden’s approval rating. It’s been the most stable for any president since the end of World War II.

This, indeed, has been the story of the Biden presidency from a popularity standpoint. At every point at which I’ve checked in to see how Biden is doing from a historical perspective, nothing seems to shake his approval ratings.

Right now, Biden’s average approval rating rests at around 53%, no matter how you calculate said average. Over the course of Biden’s first six months in office, his approval rating has never risen above 55% or fallen below 51% in an average of polls. It was 53% in April and 54% in May.

To give you an idea of what a narrow lane Biden’s approval rating is in, you only need to look at history.Prior to Biden, the average range for post-World War II presidents in their first six months in office was 14 points. Biden’s range is less than a third of that.

Joe Biden’s approval rating simply hasn’t moved in six months

Nearly every other president saw his maximum and minimum approval rating differ by about greater than 7 points or more. (Lyndon Johnson’s gap was about 5.5 points.)

Former President Donald Trump’s range was 10 points, and he was thought to have an approval rating that was historically stable.

Biden, though, hasn’t really picked up any new supporters since the election. His approval rating matches his vote share (51%) and favorable rating in the exit polls (52%) nearly perfectly.

On the other hand, it’s been noticeable how Biden’s relative ranking on approval rating has risen the more time has gone on. Biden’s initial approval rating was near the bottom (only beating Trump) back in January.

Today, it beats Trump, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton’s. Barack Obama and George W. Bush’s approval ratings are within the margin of error of Biden’s approval rating.

With increased polarization, Biden’s approval rating probably has a better chance of not significantly moving during his presidency than it may have in an earlier era.

On the polarization front, Biden has to be pleased that Democrats still seem to stand firmly behind him. It’s hard to find any reputable poll where his approval rating among Democrats is below 90%. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, for instance, it’s 94%.

No other president in the post-World War II era had an approval rating at this point within his own party as Biden has now.
That’s not to say it’s all groovy for Biden.

The percentage of people firmly behind Biden seems to have shifted down a little bit. In the AP-NORC poll, for example, 25% and 26% of the public strongly approved of him in their last polls. In every poll of theirs before the most recent, more than 30% of the public strongly approved of Biden.

Likewise, in an average of live interview polls, the percentage of the public who strongly approved of Biden went from 31% in both January and February to 27% now.

A big question going forward is whether this signals that Biden’s base may not be as strong as it appears at first glance.
Another bad piece of news for Biden is that the opposition to him seems to have hardened. Biden’s disapproval rating is now in the low to mid-40s than the mid-30s it was back in January. This reflects more people going from undecided to disapproving of Biden.

If Biden was hoping that his efforts in the first six months of his presidency would bring over new supporters, he is mistaken — at least for the moment.

Of course, Biden would probably accept not gaining any supporters, as long as he doesn’t lose any. His approval rating is still above water, and that’s certainly better than his predecessor.

President Joe Biden’s approval rating dips to 50%, lowest since he took office

President Joe Biden’s approval rating has dipped six percentage points to 50%, his lowest mark since taking office in January, according to the latest Gallup poll.

Biden’s reduced rating comes as the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant spreads and increases cases among unvaccinated Americans, and amid continued polarization, according to Gallup. For the first time, support for Biden among independents dipped below a majority to 48%, and Democratic support at 90% marks a new low as well. Biden’s overall performance during his term’s first second quarter — an average of 53% — is still better than former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton during the same time period, with Gallup noting economic gains including lower unemployment and an infrastructure deal pushing through the Senate on Biden’s watch.

Forty-five percent disapprove of the Democrat’s performance and 5% told Gallup they had no opinion. Only 12% of Republicans support Biden’s work thus far, the poll showed. But Biden still enjoys more support from independents than Trump ever received in Gallup’s poll.

Gallup reported that the roughly three-percentage-point dip in Biden’s average approval rating over the first and second quarters is on par with dips seen for Trump and former President George W. Bush.

Historically, Gallup shows third-quarter ratings dropping even further; even former President Barack Obama, who enjoyed a 62% approval rating at this point, saw a 10-point drop after unemployment paired with legislative battles over the Affordable Care Act.

Gallup surveyed more than 1,000 adults across the country between July 6-21. The margin of error is plus-or-minus four percentage points, Gallup said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Sunday that the U.S. is “going in the wrong direction” when it comes to COVID-19. The nation’s daily death toll may increase beyond 850 — which is more than triple the current average — unless more people get vaccinated, “particularly when you have a variant like Delta, which has this extraordinary characteristic of being able to spread very efficiently and very easily from person-to-person,” Fauci warned.

Joe Biden’s Pandemic Approval Rating Falls Amid Lockdown, Delta Variant Fears

President Joe Biden’s pandemic approval rating has plummeted to its lowest level, according to a new poll, possibly fueled by a fear that lockdowns could return amid a surge in coronavirus cases due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Just over six in 10 (63 percent) of Americans approve of the president’s handling of the pandemic, the ABC News/Ipsos poll found. The number is a nine-point drop from Biden’s highest result (72 percent) in the same survey in late March.

According to the poll, a majority of Americans (62 percent) are concerned that they or someone they know will be infected with the coronavirus, with 20 percent reporting they were “very concerned.” Thirteen percent said they were “not concerned at all.”

The poll, which surveyed 527 adults between July 23 and 24, also found that about three-quarters (74 percent) say they have had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 68.8 percent of adults in the U.S. have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

But asked about whether they feel optimistic or pessimistic about the coming year, 55 percent said they were pessimistic about the way things are going in the country. Only 45 percent said they were optimistic.

Americans were far more optimistic about the same question when asked in early May. That poll found 64 percent were optimistic looking ahead to the next 12 months, while just 36 percent were pessimistic.

Meanwhile, concerns about contracting coronavirus is higher (67 percent) among those who are at least partly vaccinated than those who are not (47 percent).

Trump Claims Americans Not Taking COVID Vaccine Because They ‘Don’t Trust the President’

Former President Donald Trump told a rally of his supporters on Saturday night that Americans are refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine because they “don’t trust” President Joe Biden.

Speaking during a rally in Phoenix, Trump touted the success of his administration’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine rollout, and claimed that many Americans now do not trust Biden enough to be inoculated.

“How about the vaccine? I came up with the vaccine. They said it would take 3 to 5 years. Gonna save the world,” Trump said, while adding that his administration did “such an incredible job” with handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump then sharpened his criticism against Biden and said that the current administration’s recommended pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for safety purposes in April set back the rollout “so badly” and added that, “Because they don’t trust the president, people aren’t doing it.”

“It’s as simple as can be,” he said.

The former president’s comments come just one week after he made a less direct attack, writing in astatement that Biden is “way behind schedule, and people are refusing to take the Vaccine because they don’t trust his Administration, they don’t trust the Election results, and they certainly don’t trust the Fake News, which is refusing to tell the Truth.”

Since leaving office, Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. vaccine rollout is a result of his administration’s efforts, despite the fact that he was frequently criticized for lagging behind expectations and failing to meet vaccination goals.

During the Saturday rally, Trump told his supports that he “recommends” they take the vaccine, but that he “also believes in your freedoms 100 percent.”

Biden has been encouraging all Americans to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country. A recent survey found that Biden’s pandemic approval rating has dropped to its lowest level since January amid reports that the COVID-19 Delta variant is spreading rapidly.

Just over six in 10 (63 percent) of Americans now approve of the president’s handling of the pandemic, the new ABC News/Ipsos poll found. The number is a nine-point drop from Biden’s highest result (72 percent) in the same survey in late March.

As of Sunday, 162.7 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 56 percent of the population has received at least one dose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread, 49 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, have seen an increase in daily COVID cases of 5 percent or more in the last week alone, Johns Hopkins University reported.

On Tuesday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that the Delta variant is now responsible for 83 percent of coronavirus cases across the U.S.

“The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 variants is to prevent the spread of disease, and vaccination is the most powerful tool we have. We must continue to expand vaccine coverage by building trust and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines,” Walensky told a Senate hearing.

Joe Biden’s Approval Rating Is Soaring Among Independents

President Joe Biden’s approval rating among independent voters has soared following a sharp decline at the end of June, according to an Ipsos survey.

The Ipsos weekly approval tracker found that Biden’s rating among independents stood at 52 percent in its latest survey, which was conducted on July 14 and 15.

The president’s overall approval rating is 53 percent and his disapproval is 42 percent. The survey’s margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

Biden enjoys 88 percent approval among Democrats—a slight dip from 91 percent in the previous survey on July 7 and 8. His approval among Republicans stands at 17 percent, up from 13 percent a week earlier.

The approval figure from independent voters has risen sharply in recent weeks.

The last time Biden’s approval among independents hit 50 percent in the Ipsos survey was June 17-18. On June 24-25, the figure fell to 45 percent.

A week later, in the June 30-July 1 research, Biden’s approval among independents tumbled to just 34 percent—the lowest figure in the Ipsos survey since he took office in January.

A week later, in the July 7-8 survey, the approval rating among independents recovered to 44 percent. It has now risen another 8 points to 52 percent.

The president also enjoys high approval from independents for his handling of key issues in the latest Ipsos survey. On the coronavirus pandemic, 59 percent of independents approve of Biden. His overall approval rating on COVID-19 also stands at 59 percent.

Opinions on the president’s performance broadly follow party lines, with 86 percent of Democrats approving of his approach to COVID-19 compared to just 33 percent of Republicans.

On the issue of “unifying the country,” 50 percent of independents approve of Biden, compared to 78 percent of Democrats and 19 percent of Republicans. However, Biden scores lower among independents on other issues.

On the economy, 47 percent of independents approve of his approach, while 45 percent approve of his handling of employment and jobs. The approval rating for his policies on racial inequality is 48 percent. However, just 30 percent of independents approve of Biden on taxation and 32 percent on corruption. On immigration, 37 percent of independents approve of the president.

Tracker FiveThirtyEight, which gives the Ipsos survey a B- rating, combines a number of polls to calculate Biden’s popularity.

According to FiveThirtyEight, the president’s latest figures are 51.1 percent approval and 42.6 percent disapproval.

The Ipsos poll was conducted among 1,005 Americans aged over 18 between July 14 and 15. They were interviewed online in English and there were 100 independents surveyed, as well as 465 Democrats and 366 Republicans.

“Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe,” Ipsos said.

Texas voters split over Gov. Greg Abbott’s job performance, but he remains popular among Republicans, UT/TT Poll finds

Texas voters are split over whether they approve of Gov. Greg Abbott’s job performance, though he remains popular with Republicans and more popular among Texans than President Joe Biden, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

The June 2021 poll shows that 44% of Texans approve of Abbott’s job as governor, while 44% disapprove. That leaves him with an overall approval rating from Texas voters that’s better than those of Biden, U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dade Phelan. Abbott enjoys the approval of 77% of his own party’s voters, with 43% of Republicans saying they “strongly approve” of his performance.

Democratic disapproval for Abbott remain