The president came into office facing a three-headed monster. The watchdog of the underworld, Cerberus, did not have much on Joe Biden’s first month in office. President Biden faced a raging coronavirus pandemic and its resulting economic downfall, bristling race relations, and the ex-president’s attempt to overthrow our democracy. Yet, the president managed to work magic.
It looked as if President Joe Biden just swept his wand over the nation and magic followed. Of course, that was not how he made so much good happen. No, it was his 36 years in the Senate, eight years as vice president, and a lifetime of compassion. He has accomplished many times more in his first two months than his predecessor did in four years. Yet, President Biden has his critics.
On the coronavirus pandemic, President Biden received a 72 percent approval rating, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos Poll using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel. Just a few weeks ago, that was at 68 percent. He managed to pass a $1.9 trillion relief package as his first major legislative achievement. A mere 28 percent disapproved of him there.
Over one-third of the adult U.S. population has had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In that area, 75 percent of Americans approved of how Biden handled this problem.
The president gave his first formal press conference last week. He had originally pledged 100 million doses of the vaccine in his first 100 days. Thursday, he doubled that pledge, upping it to 200 million doses.
A full 60 percent of Americans approved of how the president has repaired the faltering economy. The coronavirus caused wave after wave of economic problems. There was 40 percent of Americans, though, who disapproved.
The way that broke down for Democrats was 96 percent approved of how he handled the pandemic, vaccine delivery rated 92 percent, and the economic response 89 percent. Independents followed closely behind at 74 percent, 77 percent, and 63 percent respectively.
A majority of Republicans, 53 percent, approved of the vaccine distribution. Yet, they only gave him 44 percent approval of his overall response and economic leadership, 23 percent.
Biden also faced the hot topics of gun violence after two mass shootings in a week, one in a grocery store and the yearly surge in immigration of children. An equal 57% of Americans disapproved of his approach on both issues, while just over 4 in 10 Americans approved.
President Biden said that gun control and immigration were secondary to the pandemic and related issues. He called them “long-term problems” even though they were of increasing urgency. During his press conference, he said:
‘They’ve been around a long time. And what we’re going to be able to do, God willing, is now begin one at a time to focus on those as well.’
‘Successful presidents — better than me — have been successful, in large part, because they know how to time what they’re doing — order it, decide and prioritize what needs to be done.’
The Newsweek magazine reported:
‘Republican lawmakers have rounded on the problems and blamed Biden’s stances on immigration as having exacerbated them. Meanwhile progressive lawmakers have questioned how those at the border are treated, with concerns raised over the detention of unaccompanied minors.’
The Ipsos Public Affairs’ KnowledgePanel® conducted the ABC News/Ipsos Poll on March 26 and 27, 2021. It was performed in both English and Spanish in a national random sample of 517 adults. The margin of error was 4.9 +/- percentage points, which was relatively high.
To view the full poll, click on this link.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
