New polls released this weekend show terrible numbers for the Biden administration. In one poll, most respondents stated they feel the country is headed in the wrong direction. In another, respondents revealed they would support a candidate other than President Joe Biden if the election were today.
The fact that Biden’s numbers are this poor shows just how badly Biden has been doing. Had the media treated former President Donald Trump like they do Biden, Trump would’ve won reelection.
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According to the latest NBC News poll, nearly 3 in 4 people say the country is headed in the wrong direction. This is not exactly a shining endorsement of the Biden administration. Furthermore, this poll appears ominous for Democrats going into the midterm elections.
“In the three instances when this sustained dark outlook coincided with an election year, it foreshadowed bad news for the party in power — 1992, 2008 and 2016,” Jeff Horwitt, a Democratic pollster, told NBC News.
A new Fox News poll reveals that 60% of voters said they would support anyone but Biden if the election were held today. According to Fox News, economic anxiety and the perception that he is doing a poor job handling the pandemic are the reasons listed for the dismal numbers. Additionally, Biden currently has a 47% approval rating, Fox News reported. This is a 9-point drop from his 56% high, attained in June.
It’s shocking to have such lousy polling numbers despite positive media coverage, especially when compared to Trump. Biden has enjoyed almost double the amount of positive news coverage compared to the Trump administration, the Pew Research Center revealed. Additionally, the research shows that Biden has had significantly fewer “negative assessments” in the media compared to Biden.
This past week illustrates just a few examples of the difference in the media’s attitude between Biden and Trump.
For example, President Biden held a nearly two-hour-long press conference on Wednesday, the longest press conference in U.S. history. It largely generated negative reviews. Even Saturday Night Live ridiculed it during its “Weekend Update” segment. But most of the mainstream media did not condemn it the way they would if Trump had such a press conference. SNL’s surprising ridicule aside, it was mainly ignored by the media.
Another example is White House press secretary Jen Psaki’s appearance on The View this week. After talking about many of the issues plaguing the nation, from COVID, to the economy, to the crisis with Russia and Ukraine, Psaki acknowledged the frustration of the American people. Her response? “My advice to everyone out there who’s frustrated, sad, angry, pissed off, feel those emotions, go to a kickboxing class, have a margarita, do whatever you need to do this weekend,” Psaki said.
Psaki’s appearance escaped criticism. But one can only imagine the coverage had it been Kayleigh McEnany making such comments.
One of the most ridiculous instances involves an article by Kristyn Burtt. The article was about a professor’s conversation with her students at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. The story focused on how the students appeared to be out of touch with reality. Burtt inexplicably referred to Wharton in the title as “Trump’s family alma matter,” despite the story having nothing to do with Trump or anyone in his family.
Ironically, if Burtt would tie the school to any president, it probably should have been Biden. There is a center at the school named the Penn Biden Center. But the story had nothing to do with any president. It’s indicative of the level of irrational hatred the media have for Trump.
The media have been much more favorable to Biden than former President Trump. However, the polls show the country isn’t buying it. With disastrous poll numbers and no end to his troubles in sight, if Biden has any hope of reelection, he must dramatically turn things around. Fortunately, he has the luxury of an accomplice that the Trump administration did not: the media. Only time will tell if that is enough to save his presidency.
