Americans Aren’t Sold on Joe Biden’s Handling of the Economy – President Joe Biden has repeatedly touted his economic accomplishments, claiming the effort to rebuild the nation’s economy from the middle out and the bottom up is working – yet, a majority of Americans would seem to disagree.
A Wall Street Journal poll, taken between August 24 and 30, found that just 37 percent of registered voters “somewhat” or “strongly” approved of Biden’s handling of the economy. By contrast, a majority of the same group, 59 percent, said they disapproved of how the president’s has tackled the economy.
The poll’s findings came out one day after Biden discussed the August jobs report, which saw the U.S. add 187,000 jobs in August as the unemployment rate rose to 3.8 percent. Economists had expected to gain 170,000 jobs while maintaining the July jobless rate of 3.5 percent.
Biden remarked that the country “is now in one of the strongest job-creating periods in our history,” while he took direct aim at former President Donald Trump adding, “It wasn’t that long ago that America was losing jobs. In fact, my predecessor was one of only two presidents in history who entered his presidency and left with fewer jobs than when entered.”
That fact is technically true, but the context is lacking—as the nation was still suffering from the economic downturn brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Earlier this year, House lawmakers had even suggested much of the job growth under Biden was actually people returning to work, and noted that it was job recovery not new job creation – with employment only up by 3.7 million.
The Wall Street Journal post also found that nearly three in four voters believe that inflation “is headed in the wrong direction,” while 63 percent said they “somewhat” or “strongly” disapproved of the president’s record on inflation and climbing prices.
Joe Biden In A Dead Heat With Trump
The poll also found that Biden is statistically tied with Trump in a potential 2024 rematch, with both even at 46 percent, while eight percent of would-be voters said they remain undecided. Adding in the choice of a third-party candidate(s), Trump actually edges out Biden 40 percent to 39 percent, with the lesser-known third parties collecting just single-digit support – yet it is in Trump’s favor.
Among the Republican hopefuls, Trump maintains 59 percent support – holding a 46 percent lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his closest rival, who had 13 percent support. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley was third in the GOP field with eight percent support.
Two of Trump’s most recent criminal cases – which are both over allegations that he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election – have not appeared to have a negative impact on his campaign. The indictments had actually boosted the former president, as the WSJ poll found that 60 percent of Republican voters surveyed said the charges were politically motivated, and 78 percent said Trump’s actions were legal.
Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with supporters at a community event at Sun City MacDonald Ranch in Henderson, Nevada.
Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with supporters at a town hall hosted by the Iowa Asian and Latino Coalition at Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 33 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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