President Joe Biden’s approval rating has sunk to its lowest point since he gained office, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released Wednesday.
The July poll, conducted among 1,500 likely voters, found that 46% of Americans approve of Biden’s job as president, while 52% disapprove. The poll further found that 26% said they “strongly approve” of Biden’s presidency so far, while 42% “strongly disapprove.”
The new poll comes barely a month after Biden’s approval rating first slipped below 50% in June, according to a Monmouth University poll. (RELATED: Poll: Biden Approval Rating Slips Among Democrats)
Biden’s drop in approval appears to be due to a loss of confidence in his economy and an ongoing skepticism of his policies at the U.S.-Mexico border.
A new AP-NORC poll finds fewer than half of Americans — 45% — judge the economy to be in good shape, while 54% say it’s in poor shape. pic.twitter.com/HIucrd7nR4
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 26, 2021
Biden has sought to shift blame for the immigration surge at the southern border. His administration first argued that the surge was simply an annual occurrence, but the argument faded quickly as it became clear the 2021 surge was far larger than in previous years.
The heads of state of both Guatemala and Mexico have argued that Biden’s policies are largely responsible for the wave of immigration.
AMLO: “Expectations were created that with the Government of President Biden there would be a better treatment of migrants. And this has caused Central American migrants, and also from our country, wanting to cross the border thinking that it is easier to do so” pic.twitter.com/TNrZQamuWK
— José Díaz-Briseño (@diazbriseno) March 23, 2021
Biden, however, has sought to reject such blame.
“What is happening today, and I’d like to think it’s happening because I’m a nice guy, but it’s not–because it’s what happens every year,” Biden said in March. “If you take a look at the number of people who are coming, the vast majority, the overwhelming majority of people who are coming and crossing the border are being sent back.”
Biden ultimately decided to leave the border crisis for Vice President Kamala Harris to handle, but her first attempts to tackle the issue were met with criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.