After four years of turmoil under former-President Trump, Americans needed an easy-going no-nonsense leader. In the past 41 days, President Joe Biden has spent much of his time realigning the country’s policies. A new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll released on March 1, 2021, reports that 61 percent of respondents approve of the current president’s job performance.
Trump’s approval rating taken at the same time in his presidency was only 48 percent. Mark Penn, the director of the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey, explains:
Unlike Trump, President Biden is having a honeymoon along with the Democrats. The country is turning to them and giving them the opportunity to get the country vaccinated and the economy moving. It’s not the biggest of honeymoons but it’s still a real opportunity for the party and presidency to grow.
Penn’s assessment is accurate to a point regarding the newness of this administration. However, there is more to Biden’s approval rating is likely due to his public demeanor.
He refers to people as folks and so far has not demonstrated anger toward his colleagues or staff — nor has he fired anyone using Twitter.
He remained quiet, at least publically, during Trump’s impeachment trial. Instead, he focused on making sure everyone in the U.S. can be vaccinated.
One of his goals is to stay the course in the fight against COVID-19. Biden posts sensible tweets daily on his personal and government feed, for example:
Wash your hands. Stay socially distanced. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Despite our progress, we can’t let our guard down.
President Biden allocated COVID-19 funds specifically to address vaccine hesitancy. Millions of dollars in grants “to counter fear and misinformation in communities of color that have indicated they’re concerned about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
His immigration reform plans are ambitious. The DHS secretary announced the administration is working to reunite families torn apart under Trump’s Zero Tolerance policy.
Even though the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll reveals partisan division, 31 percent of Republican voters approve of Biden’s job performance.
This poll also reveals a decline from an earlier survey about respondent’s confidence in the direction the country is headed under Biden’s leadership. In January, 63 percent believed the country was going in the wrong direction.
Whereas, in late Febuary the data shows dropped 16 percent — only 47 percent of respondents believe the country is moving in the wrong direction.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
The Hill: Biden’s approval tops 60 percent in new poll; by Max Greenwood
Newsweek: Biden Approval Rating Double-Digits Higher Than Trump’s Was in Early 2017: Poll; by Jason Lemon
CBS: Biden targets diverse groups with vaccine hesitancy for COVID-19 funds; by Bo Erickson
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Matt A.J. Courtesy of Matt Johnson’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
