Joe Biden’s level of public approval of his job performance is looking a lot better than it did in recent numbers.
New polling from POLITICO conducted by Morning Consult shows the president with 46 percent of respondents, who in this case are registered voters, approving of Biden’s performance in office, while only 52 percent disapproved. Those figures mean Biden’s disapproval is leading his approval by six percent — which is much smaller than recent deficits for the president found in this source’s polling. In late July, Biden’s approval was behind his disapproval by 22 percentage points, with just 37 percent behind his presidency on this question and 59 percent expressing discontent. The new numbers represent the best showing for Biden in approval numbers from POLITICO and Morning Consult since March of this year, when the figures were 45 percent approving and 51 percent disapproving.
Biden is presiding over an expanding series of legislative accomplishments, including the Inflation Reduction Act and a bipartisan bill increasing some of the safeguards around guns, which he signed. The latter included measures like the provision of $750 million available for the support of state-level efforts towards “the creation and administration of laws that help ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or others” alongside other potential action, as a doc from the office of Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says. It also bulks up the review process for prospective gun purchasers under the age of 21. (The shooter who attacked Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this year was 18.) The bill demands “an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records,” Murphy’s recap explains, with specific requirements for that. (That’s for prospective buyers under 21.)
Legislators also created criminal offenses covering those who might purchase a gun on behalf of someone who’d otherwise be restricted. Separately, the Inflation Reduction Act contains hundreds of billions of dollars towards fighting climate change, constituting the largest single investment by the federal government in combating climate change in history. The legislation “includes tens of billions in new investments in offshore wind and solar, doubling down on zero emission vehicles, increasing energy efficiency, [and] supporting clean manufacturing,” Biden said Wednesday. Increasingly positive views of Biden could help boost Democratic chances in this year’s midterm elections.
