Washington Examiner political and investigative reporter Sarah Westwood said President Joe Biden’s self-proclaimed messaging problem is a “policy problem” that has caused a disconnect with the people, while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is gaining broad appeal, even when upsetting his own Republican Party.
Westwood appeared on Mornings with Maria Thursday, saying new poll numbers showing that 85% of U.S. adults now feel the country is headed in the wrong direction reveal how the Biden administration has been unwilling to change its approach on policy.
“The problem is the Biden administration doesn’t have a messaging problem here, they have a policy problem, and they haven’t been willing to really do anything that could affect what’s driving this really poor sentiment among voters,” Westwood said. “Until the Biden administration changes what they’re actually doing, and not just what they are talking about, I think this is just going to get worse for President Biden.”
Westwood noted that Biden’s struggles span beyond the economy and rising crime in the United States.
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“The problem with President Biden’s approach to foreign policy often is that he’s looking at it through the lens of what plays well domestically, often with a leftist-activist base, and not necessarily what’s best for America, what’s best for maintaining America’s position in the world,” Westwood said. “So, he’s very often not willing to take on these fights, like with China, because he’s afraid of getting crossed with this base that doesn’t have America’s interest at heart.”
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts joined the discussion, adding that Biden is compromised concerning U.S. relations with China, noting a need to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
“I will be really blunt. He’s compromised. He’s compromised through his son,” Roberts said. “It’s time to take the country back, and it starts with ending the compromised nature of President Biden and a number of elected officials in Washington, D.C.”
Reflecting these domestic and foreign policy concerns, poll numbers Wednesday showed Biden’s approval rating at a new low of 38%. As many begin to look ahead to the 2024 election season, Westwood said it is the boldness of DeSantis’s policy decisions that has garnered him broad appeal, nearly matching the GOP appeal of former President Donald Trump, with a new poll showing a 9-point difference between the two.
“It’s why Democrats have been so eager to attack him since he started building this national profile. And he’s difficult for Democrats to attack because he’s not necessarily partisan in the way some other conservatives are,” Westwood said, pointing to DeSantis’s willingness to take on Disney amid criticism over Florida’s education legislation that many dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
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“He’s governed really with common sense as his guide,” Westwood continued. “That’s why his appeal is broader. That’s why he’s running up the score in a state that used to be considered, you know, sort of a swing state with big Hispanic populations, Democratic pockets, and why he’ll likely be such a formidable opponent in 2024 for Republicans.”
