Those in the White House masochistic enough to have read the results of the ABC/Washington Post poll published yesterday will surely have had an uneasy start to the week.
The poll reveals plenty of problems for Biden and those whose job it is to persuade the American people to give him another four years: the fact that it shows him losing by six points to Donald Trump, widely panned as a busted flush with no appeal beyond the MAGA hardcore; the solid majority of voters who do not think the Biden has the mental sharpness (63 percent) or the physical health (62 percent) to serve as president; and the new record low approval rating in the survey (36 percent). Meanwhile, Biden’s greatest strength is his own side’s weakness: his re-election bid would be on shakier ground were it not for the fact that obvious alternative, the vice president, is even more loathed.
(As my colleague Ben Domenech argues below, one other thing the poll exposes is the jarring contrast between most Americans’ opinion of an unpopular president and the kid gloves with which he is treated.)
But the real reason the poll will sour the mood in the White House is that it comes at the start of what promises to be a rocky period for Biden. This week, two issues are set to dominate in Washington. The first is the debt ceiling negotiation. America might not be paying much attention, but so far McCarthy has outmaneuvered the president, whose team have so far come across as flatfooted and stubborn in this high-wire fiscal act.
The second is immigration, with Title 42 border restrictions coming to an end. The issue has always been a massive liability for Biden. And for all that the administration has sought to prepare for the post-restriction rush, how likely is a scene of calm and effective border management in the days to come?
More trouble seems likely to be heading the White House’s way in the days and weeks to come courtesy of the president’s son. A decision on whether to charge Hunter Biden over tax and firearms offenses is set to be imminent. On Friday, Politico reported that those close to Biden “worry about the personal toll it will take on a father who has already felt anguish about a son’s struggles amid a long history of family tragedy.” Also on Friday, the president weighed into the ongoing investigation by insisting that his son had “done nothing wrong.” Meanwhile, attorneys an IRS whistleblower who alleges political interference in the case have met again with Congressional investigators, raising once again the possibility of damning testimony on the Hill.
Oh, and I almost forgot: a slow-moving banking crisis rumbles on, with First Republic Bank seized and sold to J.P. Morgan last week.
These clouds gather as Biden comes hobbling out of the 2024 starting gate. His campaign has opted not to release his early fundraising figures: a sure sign that the numbers aren’t flattering. And even though he has no serious rival, Biden still can’t stamp his authority on the nonevent that is the Democratic primary: RFK Jr, who is supposed to be an amateurish also-ran, has somehow notched up around 20 percent in a few polls.
Things, in other words, are bad for Biden. And they could be about to get worse.
On our radar
GOP’S BORDER BILL STRUGGLES Immigration and border security may be winning issues for Republicans, but the party is yet to rally behind a House border bill that Kevin McCarthy hopes to pass this week.
WHITE HOUSE FOOD FIGHT The latest controversy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? The president’s diet. Axios reports that Jill Biden is frustrated her husband won’t eat more veggies and fish. Biden aides say that he eats “like a child.”
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‘Brutal’ poll reveals the truth about Joe Biden
The latest poll from the Washington Post and ABC News sent shockwaves through America’s media commentariat over the weekend, with numbers that are absolutely dire for President Biden. “This poll is just brutal,” announced former Democratic spokesperson turned ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. He’s correct: with approval ratings at just 36 percent, and lagging far behind Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis in potential general election matchups, the voting numbers are terrible. But the personal ratings are somehow even worse than that — 68 percent of those polled, including 48 percent of Democrats, believe Biden is too old for another term. And just 32 percent think he has the mental acuity to serve as president — including 69 percent of Independents.
The numbers jarred Stephanopoulos and commentators across the spectrum. But they’re also a wake-up call for the media about their limitations in selling certain ideas to the American public, well after they’ve seen enough evidence to the contrary.
From the moment that his campaign for the 2020 presidential nomination began, Biden was protected by the media elite. With precious few exceptions, he was treated to softball questions and kid-glove treatment, with a wall of media supporters who maintained that his central narrative — about “restoring the soul of the nation” — was a pure, virtuous aim bent on returning normalcy to fraught political affairs. They emphasized his best attributes and didn’t mind that he ran for president from a basement via streaming video. And when Biden hit speedbumps, they were there for him. How many of them stood up for the New York Post on the Hunter Biden story, or questioned the social media narrative, instead of dutifully reporting on an intel expert letter scheme as if it were not purposefully organized by Biden’s team to be a debate talking point?
With the exception of Peter Doocy, Joe Biden managed to go the entire presidential general election without taking a single tough question from a reporter. And even now, in his third year in office, even after finding out that he kept classified documents in his garage by his car, the tough questions aren’t there. Other than complaints about the lack of access to the president, the press corps is happy to take the crumbs they are fed. Biden is content to dodge all but the most obsequious interviewers — and when he does sit down, he’s served up questions as soft as the ice cream Joe just loves oh so very much — yes, we know — yet he still manages to meander and offer legally eyebrow-raising answers.
There comes a point where you just can’t spin something any more — there’s too much proof that what you’re saying simply isn’t true. Three years into the first term of a man whose inauguration was hailed by CNN as something that would “inspire our friends and shake our foes,” people can see that just hasn’t happened. Voters aren’t more confident about the economy or inflation, the culture war hasn’t died down one bit, the world seems as dangerous as ever, and the direction of the country feels terrible. Once those feelings are locked in, they’re not easily overcome — and the media giants can only spin for so long before the truth becomes evident. The truth about Joe Biden is that he’s too old, he’s too slow — and only die-hard partisans say otherwise. This means getting re-elected will require him to destroy his opponents. The media will help him try. But even they can’t accomplish miracles.
Jill Biden’s post-coronation SoulCycle with PM’s wife
After the coronation festivities, there were a fair few hangovers in London Sunday. But there was no sign of that over in Notting Hill, where fitness fanatics were up early for SoulCycle. And Cockburn understands that among the more high-profile attendees at the 9:30 a.m. class were none other than Akshata Murthy, Rishi Sunak’s wife, and Jill Biden. Talk about a Special Relationship…
The better halves of the two world leaders both enjoy SoulCycle, with Murthy also once owning a 4.4 percent stake in boutique London gym chain Digme Fitness, where she was a director. Downing Street declined to comment but Cockburn hears that the pair were taught by Abbey Ashley, a self-confessed “Swiftie.” Good to see there’s no Bad Blood between Murthy and Biden over the president’s decision not to attend — after all, It’s Nice to Have A Friend.
Let’s hope the bond between their respective partners remains equally close…
From the site
Ben Smith: Confessions of a media chronicler
Teresa Mull: Does downtown deserve a comeback?
Freddy Gray: Kamala Harris could be the GOP’s key to the White House
Poll watch
PRESIDENT BIDEN JOB APPROVAL
Approve 42.5% | Disapprove 53.0% | Net Approval -10.5
IS THE COUNTRY ON THE RIGHT TRACK?
Right track: 36% | Wrong track 59%
(Rasmussen)
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Marilyn W. Thompson, ProPublica: How James Clyburn protected his district at a cost to black Democrats
Scott Wong, Ali Vitali and Stephanie Ruhle, NBC: Senators love Tim Scott, but they’re not ready to endorse him
Walter Russell Mead, Tablet: You are not destined to live in quiet times
Editors, Washington Free Beacon: In NYC subway, leftist governance reaps what it sows
