New Reuters poll suggests Biden’s approval rating sank to 36% this week, the lowest of his presidency so far
Joe Biden’s popularity among American voters continues to slip, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll published on Tuesday, which revealed that only 36% of respondents favorably view his presidency. This is the lowest score since he took office.
The poll, which gathered responses from a total of 1,005 adults, including 456 Democrats and 358 Republicans, suggests that more than half of Americans (59%) are dissatisfied with Biden’s performance as president. The approval rating of 36% was down by 6 percentage points in just one week from the previous 42% reading.
Even Biden’s popularity among fellow Democrats seems to be waning, as his approval rating within his own party fell from 76% last week to 72% in the new survey.
Meanwhile, another survey, conducted by Gallup over May 2-22 and also published on Tuesday, found that a staggering 83% of Americans think that the US has gone in the completely wrong direction, citing record high inflation, baby-formula shortages, record gas prices and mass shootings.
Additionally, the Gallup Poll found that even Democrats have grown increasingly frustrated with the way things are, as satisfaction has plummeted 14 points since April to just 24%, reaching its lowest point of Biden’s presidency.
Such low confidence in Biden’s performance and the growing unpopularity of Congress – 77% of respondents said they disapprove of the job it’s doing – could end up spelling trouble for the president and his Democratic Party in the upcoming midterm elections in November.
“With less than six months to go before the midterm elections, the public’s mood is sour, with few Americans satisfied with the direction of the country and approving of Congress, making the Democratic congressional majority extremely vulnerable,” Gallup said, adding that Biden’s approval rating was particularly weak among independents and was nowhere near the level required for a president to stave off significant midterm losses in Congress.
The Democrats currently hold a razor-thin majority control over both the US Senate and House. However, unless they find a way to raise the public’s confidence and provide solutions to the number of issues facing everyday Americans, the party could end up losing at least one chamber to the Republicans if polls are any indication of how people intend to vote in the 2022 midterms.
“The likelihood of a dramatic economic turnaround before November’s congressional elections appears slim, which puts pressure on Democrats to persuade voters to keep them in power despite the nation’s current struggles,” concluded the Gallup pollsters.
ATHENS, Greece, May 25 (IPS) – Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has sparked a new introspection in the West. A number of commentators, most of them writing from the US and the UK, have come up with their latest scapegoat: Germany’s to blame, they say, with its decades-long policy of appeasing Russia. Really?
The Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany announced a “Drag Queen Story Time” event
Families of US troops stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany will be able to take their children to Drag Queen Story Time next week. The base library posted the event on its Facebook page, saying it was part of Pride Month celebrations.
“We’re celebrating Pride Month at the Ramstein Library with Drag Queen Storytime!” the announcement on the page of Ramstein & Vogelweh Air Force Libraries said on Tuesday. “Join us with special guest reader Stacey Teed! Be sure to wear your brightest and most colorful outfits!”
The event is scheduled for June 2, and is distinct from the regular story time for military children, hosted by the Vogelweh library in the nearby Kaiserslautern.
“I find it wholly inappropriate that the military of all places will be using public funds to sexualize children,” one woman, whose husband is reportedly stationed at Ramstein, told the Post Millennial on Tuesday. She said she was “shocked to see the Ramstein Air Force Base Library plans to hold an official drag queen story hour for children.”
Ramstein is a massive US military base in southern Germany, serving as the headquarters of the US Air Force in Europe, Africa and the NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM). The Post Millennial said it reached out to the base for comment, but has yet to hear back.
Last year, the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada held a drag performance – which the base defended as “an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the history and significance of drag performance art within the LGBT+ community” when called out by the conservative-leaning Breitbart News.
“Ensuring our ranks reflect and are inclusive of the American people is essential to the morale, cohesion, and readiness of the military,” a Nellis spokesperson told Breitbart. However, that show was aimed at adults, not children.
According to the Post Millennial, the Ramstein library held a similar event in 2021, featuring a woman dressed as a man. The current US government has encouraged Pride celebrations by diplomats and the military, starting last year.
Drag Queen Story Hour was started in 2015 by LGBT activists in San Francisco and Canada, seeking to make the library readings “more inclusive and affirming.” The practice has been criticized by social conservatives as inappropriate sexual grooming of children.
