News - World: Biden's approval rating has fallen to a new record low of 40 percent, a serious warning sign for his Democratic Party as it seeks to retain control of Congress in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll, conducted on March 21 and 22, found that 54 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden's job performance as the country struggles with high inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed geopolitical concerns to the fore.

Poll respondents cited the economy as their top concern, followed by war and foreign conflicts.

The poll comes as Russia’s military operation in Ukraine highlighted Biden’s handling of international conflicts, while high inflation and surging gas prices have presented new challenges for the president at home.

Biden has sought to lower the political temperature following Donald Trump’s divisive presidency. But Americans remain polarized under his presidency as well.

While 77 percent of self-identified Democrats said they approved of Biden's job performance, only 10 percent of self-identified Republicans and 27 percent of independents gave him a positive rating.

Last week, a survey from Yahoo News/YouGov revealed Biden’s job performance was supported by 41 percent of the respondents while 53 percent disapproved of his handling of the presidency.

Another poll from last week, conducted by The Wall Street Journal, found nearly half of those surveyed believed Biden would not seek re-election in 2024.

Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed said they blamed the Biden administration for the record-high gas prices in recent weeks, with about 20 percent blaming the sanctions placed on Russia and about 18 percent blaming oil and gas companies for raising prices.

Gasoline prices reached more than 4 dollars per gallon in recent weeks, and such a spike, along with other goods, is likely to pose a hurdle for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.

The economy (37 percent), health care (14 percent) and the war in Ukraine (12 percent) were the only issues to chart above 10 percent as the most important issue on the minds of those surveyed.

The Democratic Party, which aims to retain control of the Congress ahead of the 8 November elections, holds a thin majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Biden’s popularity began to drop in mid-August last year as the country’s COVID-19 deaths began to rise and the US faced criticism over its chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden's approval rating is nearly identical to Trump's at the same point in his presidency, and a poll last week showed the former president narrowly defeating Biden in a 2024 election.

Source: Press TV