It is increasingly rare for US President Joe Biden to appear in front of supporters to applaud him. In November, however, he was applauded enthusiastically, writes ARD. “My dad used to tell me, ‘Joey, a job is more than a paycheck at the end of the month. It’s about dignity, respect, your place in society,'” Biden told workers at an auto parts factory in Illinois.
Good economic indicators, bad results
As one of his greatest achievements, Biden considers the creation of thousands of jobs. He also pushed through legislation to modernize the infrastructure and to more actively protect the climate, the German publication also notes. The latest economic indicators are good: the unemployment rate is low and inflation is falling.
Despite all this, Biden’s approval rating is not good. The reason is that people continue to compare today’s prices with those before the pandemic, sociologist David Schultz explains to ARD. According to him, the average American only considers the fact that prices are higher today than they were three months ago. And above all – higher than under Trump.
Higher prices immediately become the fault of the current president, Schultz believes. According to the sociologist, the bigger problem, however, is that many Americans share that they think the country is developing in the wrong way.
The age problem
One serious problem remains on the agenda for Biden – his age. “I think he’s too old,” said a 22-year-old bystander who voted for him in the 2020 election, but mostly to not support Trump. “Biden has his good moments, but I wish he was someone younger”, explains the student quoted by ARD.
Sociologist Schultz draws attention to the fact that Donald Trump is only four years younger than Biden, but he looks much fresher. Biden has always had a stuttering problem and has never been a good speaker, but now he also seems increasingly unfocused. “He no longer exudes the leadership that many expect from the president of the United States. People just don’t have the feeling that he has things under control,” Schultz told ARD.
Many Americans actually viewed Biden as a one-term interim president. However, there are now two major wars and these are situations that he is unable to control, says the sociologist.
Biden could win the endorsement in 2024
Political scientist Julia Azari takes a much more positive view of Biden. Once he starts campaigning, he could bring many to his side, said Azari, who is a professor at Marquette University in Wisconsin. “As the current president, he will have many opportunities during the campaign to demonstrate his achievements. He can also deal with Trump, as he did in 2020.”
The fact that Trump is ahead of his GOP opponents is limited to the party itself, but not to all Americans, Azari said. According to her, Biden can use the important issues for the Democrats, such as the right to abortion. “This case was more important in the mid-term elections in 2022 and in the local referendums than we imagined. There is a majority in support of the right to abortion from both parties,” the political scientist told ARD.
“The best president of my life”
Many Americans support Biden – including young people. One reason for this is that the president has lobbied for stricter gun laws. “So far, he’s the best president of my life. He’s fighting for my generation,” said a young voter whose school was the victim of a mass shooting years ago.
A student who will vote for the first time in 2024 adds that the situation in America now comes down to choosing the lesser evil. “And Biden will probably be the lesser evil,” the student told ARD.
Biden himself tries not to show that he is disappointed by his poor rating. At a visit to an auto parts factory in Illinois, he again addressed the crowd with the usual appeal with which he ends all his speeches – to work to unite the United States, not divide it.
Author: Ralph Borchardt (ARD)
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2023-12-26 17:23:00
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