Biden approval rating at 38 percent, CNN poll finds

President Biden’s approval rating sits at 38 percent, with the low mark largely attributable to softening approval among Democrats, a CNN poll published Monday found.

The poll found that 62 percent of the public disapproves of Biden’s job performance, with frustrations over his handling of the economy and inflation specifically fueling discontent. Thirty percent of respondents said they approve of Biden’s work on the economy, while 25 percent said they approved of his handling of inflation.

The poll also found that Biden held roughly steady on his approval rating among Republicans and independents. Instead, the sinking numbers were in part because his approval among Democrats dropped 13 percentage points from early May to 73 percent in Monday’s poll.

On inflation in particular, only 51 percent of Democrats said they approved of Biden’s handling of the issue.

Similarly, the poll found that 57 percent of Democrats believe Biden has the right priorities, compared to 75 percent who felt that way in a CNN poll last fall.

The CNN poll surveyed 1,459 adults from June 13 through July 13. The margin of error is 3.3 percentage points.

Monday’s survey is the latest bad indicator for Biden as he seeks to tamp down rising costs, steer the economy clear of a recession and stave off another coronavirus wave as a fresh variant becomes dominant in the United States.

Poll after poll has shown Biden’s approval rating in the high 30 percent or low 40 percent range, with frustration over the economy and high prices of gas and food largely to blame.

White House officials have pointed to data showing gas prices have declined for roughly 30 consecutive days, crediting Biden’s efforts to free up oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and his messaging to gas companies with helping the matter.

The average price of gas per gallon has dropped roughly 50 cents over the past month but has risen more than $1.40 in the past year, according to AAA.