Biden ends first year as president with ‘bleak, discouraging’ marks from public

In his inaugural address one year ago, President Joe Biden championed unity, promised a bold governing agenda and prioritized defeating the coronavirus.

Now, as Biden begins his second year as president, majorities of Americans give him low marks for uniting the country, being competent and having the ability to handle a crisis, according to results from a new national NBC News poll.

What’s more, 6 in 10 disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy, while more than half give him a thumbs-down on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

His overall job rating among adults stands at 43 percent approve and 54 percent disapprove — unchanged in essence from October’s survey. (Among registered voters, it is 44 percent approve, 54 percent disapprove.)

But it’s the numbers beneath Biden’s approval rating that paint a grim picture for the White House, say the bipartisan team of pollsters who conduct the NBC News survey.

Biden’s standing among key parts of the Democratic base has eroded while just 15 percent of Americans strongly approve of his job performance, compared to 43 percent who strongly disapprove, and only 5 percent believe his presidency has been better than expected.