President Biden's Approval Rating Hits New Low Amid Concerns Over Economy and Immigration
President Joe Biden's approval rating has taken another hit, plunging to a new low in January, as Americans express growing worries about the economy and immigration under the Democrat's leadership.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, released on Wednesday, reveals that only 38% of respondents approve of Biden's performance as president, a decline from 40% in December.
Biden's public approval rating has remained below the 50% mark since August 2021, raising concerns among his fellow Democrats as he prepares for an anticipated election rematch with Republican former President Donald Trump in November. In fact, a separate Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month indicated that Trump currently holds a six percentage-point lead in a potential matchup against Biden.
The recent poll also highlights mounting concerns about immigration, with 17% of respondents considering it the most pressing issue facing the United States today.
This figure represents a significant increase from the 11% who cited immigration as the top concern in December. Notably, immigration ranked as the primary worry among Republican respondents, with 36% highlighting it as their main concern, surpassing the 29% who cited the economy.
Biden's administration has faced significant challenges in dealing with the surge of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In December, U.S. border authorities struggled to process the influx of migrants, with apprehensions reaching nearly 11,000 in a single day, a figure officials described as near or at a record high.
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While immigration concerns are on the rise, the economy remains the top overall concern for Americans, cited by 22% of poll respondents. The ongoing struggles with inflation and other aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to these worries.
A staggering two-thirds of respondents, including 47% of Democrats, expressed the belief that the country is on the wrong track, indicating a lack of confidence in Biden's leadership.
The online poll, which surveyed 1,019 U.S. adults from Friday through Sunday, carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points for all respondents, 6.4 points for Republicans, and 6.1 points for Democrats.