WASHINGTON (AP) – Two weeks after a new administration, most Americans say they have at least confidence in President Joe Biden and his ability to handle the nation’s countless crises, including the furious coronavirus pandemic.
Overall, 61% approve of Biden’s management of his job in his first days in office, according to a new survey by the Associated Press-NORC’s Center for Public Affairs Research. Although most of Biden’s support comes from fellow Democrats, about a quarter of Republicans say they approve of his first days in office.
Even at a time of deep national divisions, these figures suggest that Biden, like most of his recent predecessors, can enjoy a honeymoon. Almost all modern presidents have obtained approval ratings averaging 55% or higher in the first three months of their term, according to the Gallup poll. There was one exception: Donald Trump, whose approval rating never exceeded 50% in the Gallup polls, even at the beginning of his presidency.
Biden’s condition with the public will quickly face significant tests. He inherited an out-of-control pandemic from Trump, a slow release of crucial vaccines, deep economic uncertainty and the disturbing failures of the January 6 revolt on Capitol Hill. It is a historical confluence of the crises that historians have compared to what Abraham Lincoln faced on the eve of the Civil War or Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the depths of the Great Depression.
Biden’s advisers know the new president will be quickly tried by the Americans in connection with his treatment of the pandemic, which has killed more than 450,000 people in the US He is urgently urging Congress to adopt a $ 1.9 trillion aid package which would include funds for vaccine distribution, reopening of the school and state and local governments in flamboyance under the strain of the pandemic.
“We have to go big, not small,” Biden told House Democrats Tuesday. He said he was open to reducing his proposal by $ 1.9 trillion, but not as much as some Republicans hoped. A group of GOP senators presented their own $ 618 billion package.
About three-quarters of Americans say they have at least some confidence in Biden’s ability to cope with the pandemic, while about a quarter do not. However, this confidence is measured – no more than about 4 out of 10 say they have “a lot” of confidence in Biden to solve any problem asked in the survey.
From the very beginning, Biden sought to differentiate his approach to the pandemic and his overall government from that of Trump. He empowered public health officials and other experts to lead briefings on COVID-19 and other policy issues, unlike the former president, who often confronted members of his coronavirus working group..
According to the AP-NORC survey, about 8 out of 10 have at least a confidence in Biden to incorporate the advice of experts and advisers in his decision-making process. About three-quarters have great or some confidence in Biden’s ability to manage the White House effectively.
An AP-NORC poll in December showed that Americans identified the pandemic and the economy as their top priorities for the US government in 2021. The two issues are directly linked, with the pandemic beating businesses across the country and creating economic uncertainty as states and cities face public health constraints.
About two-thirds of Americans say they have at least some confidence in Biden’s ability to manage the economy and jobs. This is similar to its ratings from the public in terms of its approach to health care, racial relations and climate change.
In his first two weeks in office, Biden signed an executive order blizzard on those political and other priorities, which are largely aimed at overturning the Trump administration’s actions. These include adherence to the Paris climate agreement, the termination of new oil and gas leases on public land, and the reversal of the Trump-era travel ban for people in several predominantly Muslim countries.
But executive actions they are inherently limited in scope, and Biden needs Congress to step in to help him move beyond the broader aspects of his agenda. He has the smallest democratic majority in both the House and the Senate, which means he will either need Republican support for his agenda, or he will have to promote rule changes that would allow legislation to be passed with fewer votes.
Only 20% of Americans say they have great confidence in Biden’s ability to work with Republicans in Congress, although another 45% say they are somewhat confident.
Tom Tierney, 65, of Richland, Washington, voted for Biden in November and said he was skeptical about Republicans’ willingness to work with the new president. He urged Biden not to waste time if GOP leaders keep their agenda.
“I think Biden will eventually have to play hardball and say, you know what, you guys don’t really want to compromise,” said Tierney, who described himself as a moderate independent.
Biden was already facing huge winds after winning the election, but the crises facing the country intensified after the January 6 riot at the Capitol. The insurgency revealed the extent to which Trump’s false attacks on election integrity he had resonated with his supporters and the threat posed by the nation’s democratic institutions.
In his inaugural address, Biden noted both the durability and fragility of American democracy, a particularly clear message, given that he was speaking from the same steps in the Chapter that were overtaken by the pro-Trump crowd just two weeks earlier.
The majority of Americans – 70% – say they believe Biden respects the country’s democratic institutions.
Miguel Castillo, 39, of Columbus, Georgia, voted for Trump in 2020 and was not impressed by Biden’s opening moves. However, he said he was full of hope, for the sake of the country, that the new president would succeed.
“Whatever he does, it affects us all as Americans,” Castillo said. “I hope his presidency is a good presidency. I don’t want him to fail. Honestly not. ”
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The AP-NORC survey with 1,055 adults was conducted between January 28 and February. 1 using a sample extracted from the AmeriSpeak probability-based panel of NORC, which is designed to be representative of the US population. The sampling error margin for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
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Online:
AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/.