President Joe Biden’s approval rating hit 38% following Republican victories in Virginia and elsewhere, according to a USA Today poll released Monday.
Biden’s 38% approval is the lowest of his presidency so far. His approval ratings have been consistently dropping since the spring from his Inauguration Day approval rating of 54%. Vice President Kamala Harris performed even worse in the poll, with just 28% of Americans saying they approve of her handling of the role.
USA Today conducted the poll between Wednesday and Friday, finding that much of Biden’s losses come from plummeting support among Independent voters. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%, according to USA Today.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 26: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks, as U.S. President Joe Biden looks on, in the Rose Garden of the White House on July 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. The event was to mark the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Roughly 44% of Independents said Biden has performed worse than they expected, compared to just 6% who say he has overperformed their expectations. (RELATED: Biden’s Pick For Banking Regulator Once Praised Former Soviet Union For Having ‘No Gender Pay Gap’)
Although the Biden administration has argued that much of voter frustration is due to the lack of progress on the President’s agenda in Congress, it does not appear that Americans support his whole package. While a large majority support the infrastructure package passed by Congress late last week, just one in four respondents said they believed the larger, multi-trillion-dollar Build Back Better Act would help them and their families, according to USA Today.
The poll mirrors Americans’ apparent loss of confidence in Biden’s mental capability as well, with a Nov. 1 poll showing that a majority of Americans do not believe Biden to be “mentally sharp.”
If polling trends remain consistent, Republicans are likely to retake the both the House and Senate in the 2022 midterm elections.