Underlying Data Suggests That “Brewing Problems” Could Bring Joe Biden’s “Honeymoon Phase” to an Abrupt End
Evan James
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President Joe Biden has had decent approval ratings throughout his first four months in the Oval Office. Yet the underlying data suggests that his “honeymoon phase” is unlikely to last.
The data comes from a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris survey of 1,872 registered voters conducted April 27-29. Democrats are significantly more optimistic than Republicans about the United States’ current trajectory, revealing a general sense of optimism among those surveyed because of economic recovery and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll co-director Mark Penn, however, told Just the News that this optimism—Biden’s “honeymoon phase”—may not last too much longer if several festering issues aren’t adequately addressed.
“If you look under the surface here, the administration has some brewing problems,” Penn said. “Perhaps the biggest is the fact that 85 percent of voters would prefer stronger borders, and two-thirds reject catch-and-release as a policy.”
The poll indeed reveals that Biden’s response to the US-Mexico border crisis has been far from sufficient. 65 percent of voters, for instance, believe the Biden administration has been encouraging illegal immigration. 80 percent of voters also consider immigration a serious issue, second in importance to COVID-19. Continuing to bungle an issue that a significant majority considers very important will not do Biden’s approval rating any favors.
Other trouble spots include the Biden administration’s strident social liberalism and its attitude toward the oil and gas industry. 65 percent of voters—including 56 percent of Democrats—think that biological males who’ve “transitioned” should not be able to compete on girls’ sports teams. Voters also believe by a three-to-one margin that the oil and gas industries should remain in business.
The poll was conducted in late April, and since then there have been other issues cropping up as well. Many of them relate to the economy, which is notable because the economy had been a point of optimism in the poll. A dismal jobs report and eyebrow-raising levels of inflation in the month of April could be major cause for concern if similar statistics persist into May and June. Many states in the southeastern US are also experiencing gas shortages due to a cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, which could lead more people to criticize the Biden administration’s response if the issue isn’t fixed in a timely manner.
All in all, it’s not a surprise that President Biden has high approval among Democrats and not-so-high approval among Republicans. But his overall position seems a bit precarious.
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