United States' President, Joe Biden’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency — 40% — as strong majorities of all voters disapprove of his handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
Some nationals say his mental acumen has also declined and deteriorated, noting that his aides are the ones running the country.
The poll finds Biden behind former President Donald Trump for the first time in a hypothetical general-election matchup, although the deficit is well within the poll’s margin of error for a contest that’s still more than 11 months away.
The erosion for Biden is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza, and among voters ages 18 to 34, with a whopping 70% of them disapproving of Biden’s handling of the war.
“I do not support his support of Israel,” said Meg Furey, 40, a Democrat from Austin, Texas.
“Failed promises, student loans, foreign policy in general,” said Democrat Zico Schell, 23, of San Diego, when asked why he disapproves of Biden’s job performance.
“Joe Biden is at a uniquely low point in his presidency, and a significant part of this, especially within the Biden coalition, is due to how Americans are viewing his foreign policy actions,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
McInturff said he can’t recall another time when foreign affairs not involving U.S. troops transformed the American political landscape.
“This poll is a stunner, and it’s stunning because of the impact the Israel-Hamas war is having on Biden,” he said.
But Horwitt cautioned that Biden can bring these disaffected Democrats and younger voters back into the fold. “These are people who have a proven track record in voting for Biden and Democrats,” he said.
And, he added, there’s plenty of time — and more potential political surprises to come — between now and Election Day 2024, which could see the political landscape transform again.
“Jury verdicts in Trump’s trials, unforeseen events both foreign and domestic, and the rigors of a campaign all have a funny way of upending what may be true today,” Horwitt said.
According to the poll, 40% of registered voters approve of Biden’s job performance, while 57% disapprove, representing Biden’s all-time low in approval (and all-time high in disapproval) in the poll since becoming president.
It’s only a slight overall change from September, when Biden’s approval rating was at 41% — which was then tied with his previous low in the poll.
Yet what stands out in the new survey is the shift among voters ages 18 to 34. In September, 46% of these voters said they approved of Biden’s job performance.
Now? Biden’s approval rating dropped to 31% among these voters.
In another low for the president, just 33% of all voters approve of Biden’s handling of foreign policy, which is down 8 points from September.
That compares with 62% of voters, including 30% of Democrats, who say they disapprove of the president’s handling of foreign policy.
And only 34% of all voters approve of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, versus 56% who say they disapprove.
By party, only half of Democratic voters (51%) say they approve of Biden’s handling of the war, compared with majorities of independents (59%) and Republicans (69%) who say they disapprove.
On the economy, fewer than 4 in 10 voters — 38% — say they approve of the president’s handling of the issue, which is up 1 point from September.
The NBC News poll — conducted Nov. 10-14 — comes more than a month after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,000 Israelis, and the subsequent war in Gaza, which has killed thousands more Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
The poll finds a plurality of American voters, 47%, believing that Israel is defending its interests in the war, and that its military actions in Gaza are justified.
By comparison, 30% think that Israel’s military actions have gone too far and are not justified. Another 21% say they don’t know enough to have an opinion.
Yet among Democratic voters, 51% believe Israel has gone too far, versus 27% who say Israel’s military actions are justified.
And while a majority of all voters (55%) support the United States providing military aid to Israel, almost half of Democrats (49%) say they oppose this aid.