Biden gets 'significant bounce' in week navigating Russian war, State of the Union | PBS NewsHour
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Politics Mar 4, 2022 12:00 PM EST
Russia's war against Ukraine has unified Americans and bolstered support for President Joe Biden, whose approval numbers have risen dramatically after sinking for months, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll.
About half of the U.S. public — 52 percent — said this week that they support how Biden is handling the situation in Ukraine. Two weeks ago, as Russia was getting increasingly aggressive toward its neighbor and had yet to invade, that number was much lower - roughly a third said they approved of his leadership on the looming crisis.
Regardless of their age, race, geography, income or politics, most Americans say they back economic sanctions against Russia and are willing to pay higher prices for fuel. But they are also concerned that Russia could use malevolent force beyond neighboring Ukraine and threaten the U.S. and its allies with cyberattacks, nuclear weapons or a broader war.
The extraordinary shift in public unity and support for Biden reflects the moment. Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to pursue war against Ukraine has thrown the region into chaos and displaced more than a million Ukrainians. In Russia, it has prompted a swift crackdown on protests and independent news; access to outside information in Russia has been almost entirely cut off. But it's also done more than anything else in decades to unify Europe, NATO and the global community against Putin and his brutal authoritarian regime.
Biden's rebound in approval
Conducted in the 24 hours after Biden delivered his State of the Union address on March 1, this poll found that about half of U.S. adults - 47 percent - approve of his job as president so far, up 8 percentage points from 39 percent two weeks ago.
A leap in approval numbers of that magnitude is "a significant bounce," said Lee Miringoff, who directs the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. "It's an opportunity for him. This is a reset for his numbers and a rallying point when it comes to Ukraine."
During his address, Biden assured the American people that the U.S. military would not fight Russian forces in Ukraine but would defend "every single inch" of territory held by NATO allies with "the full force of our collective power." He also said the economic sanctions enforced against Russia would render "Putin's $630 billion war fund worthless," and announced that the U.S. was closing its airspace to Russia.
"When the history of this era is written, Putin's war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger," Biden said.
Over the past week, the onslaught of news about Russia's war in Ukraine and the White House's response may have helped reduce the percentage of people who weren't sure about their feelings about Biden's handling, going from 16 percent down to 4 percent over the last two weeks.
Biden has also taken more punitive measures since Putin directed his military to invade Ukraine on Feb. 24. Overall, 46 percent of Americans say Biden's handling has been about right, including 79 percent of Democrats. Forty-three percent of U.S. adults think the American president is being too cautious, including 73 percent of Republicans, while very few Americans — 6 percent — think he is being too aggressive.
Despite his spike in overall approval, the American public isn't entirely sold on Biden's ability to lead and were split in this latest poll over whether he has strengthened or weakened the country's presence on the world's stage.
Forty-five percent of U.S. adults say he has boosted the nation's standing, including 86 percent of Democrats. That is down from 50 percent in July 2021, weeks before the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan. At this moment in Biden's presidency, 51 percent of U.S. adults think he has weakened the nation's standing, including 87 percent of Republicans. In this area, Biden retains slightly greater public confidence than his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, whom 54 percent of U.S. adults said weakened the country's reputation back in July of 2018.
Worries about the war growing beyond Ukraine
Under Putin's leadership, the Russian military has committed numerous missteps in its campaign against Ukraine, said Michael Kofman, who directs the Russian studies research program for the Center for Naval Analyses. Putin and his military strategists severely underestimated Ukrainian resistance, and ill-prepared Russian troops are demoralized, Kofman said.
While it remains unclear how Putin is "going to stay in power" after so many "miscalculations," Kofman said there is no sign they are willing to back down and instead could further leverage Russia's deep reserves of weapons. Kofman said he thinks Russia may pursue an urban assault on Kyiv, "which they see as the center of gravity," in part due to the leadership and resistance of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, who has remained in the Ukrainian capital despite efforts to assassinate him. That move could mimic Russia's 2000 siege and demolition of the Chechen capital of Grozny, Kofman added.
"This war is getting uglier," he said. "The worst is probably yet to come."
Seven out of 10 Americans expressed concern that Russia may use nuclear weapons as its invasion stalls. Putin has alluded to that possibility, including hours after he directed his military to launch missile strikes against Ukraine, when he warned that nations that interfere with Russia would face "consequences you have never seen."
Seventy-eight percent of Americans are also worried about the possibility of both Russian cyberattacks and a broader war breaking out in Europe.
But the path forward is not predetermined. Thinking about what may next erupt, Kofman said he has watched "wars go on for years and destroy countries. Hopefully, it doesn't happen in Ukraine."
Eight out of 10 U.S. adults support the economic sanctions targeting Russia. That support transcends demographic categories and partisan politics.
A majority of the U.S. public is also willing to go a step further - 69 percent said they support the sanctions even if they result in higher energy prices at home.
The rise in energy prices - increasing from $3.49 per gallon of regular gasoline on Feb. 14 to $3.61 two weeks later - that Americans are already seeing when they pull up to the pump are more likely "a consequence of war" - including the bombardment of Ukrainian oil reserves - than of Biden policy, says economist Georgy Egorov, who teaches at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
"The price we see now - it's a result of the war and uncertainty of the world's future," Egorov said. "I don't think that's the result of sanctions."
Sanctions that restrict Russian oil exports could have a more immediate effect, he said, but they will not quickly upset Putin's regime. These actions could further isolate Putin and "make him vulnerable to internal pressures and unrest," Egorov said. With rising casualties, particularly among Russians, Egorov predicted that the war will erode Putin's hold of the country.
"Even dictators care about popular support," he said.
PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist Poll conducted a survey March 1-2 that polled 1,322 U.S. adults (margin of error of 3.8 percentage points) and 1,237 registered voters (margin of error of 4.0 percentage points).
By —
Laura Santhanam Laura Santhanam
Laura Santhanam is the Data Producer for the PBS NewsHour. Follow @LauraSanthanam
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As Biden's leadership pays off in rising poll numbers.
The gop gaining seats in the midterm looks unlikely.
What bounces up falls back down. Gas here was as low as $3.19. Now it's $3.55. Not Brandon's fault, but he will get blamed.
Yet Biden's approval just started rebounding.
Biden is shining as Leader of the Free World!
Gas bounced up to $3.69 for regular this morning...the highest here yet.
Guess what group of voters will be impacted the most?
Yesterday, $3.21 - today, $3.98 - typical.
I sure hope so. The midterms are the best shot at finally draining the swamp.
LOOKS unlikely?
According to whom?
You alone?
Seen any generic polls lately about who voters would prefer to win?
Really bothered to look at any poll averages lately?
Please do hang your hat on this one poll.
I am sure only THIS poll is correct while ALL the others are wrong.
Yeah, right!
If Trump runs in 2024 Biden likely wins by 20 million!
I don't know what's going to happen in the midterms but America needs to get rid of trumpism ASAP
I can agree with this but I still think the Democrats are going to see huge losses in November. A lot more people vote on kitchen table issues and those are all looking bad for the Democrats. And the most vocal Democrats are still pushing those ideas that won't help with the issues facing the public.
A reality that many on the left can't fathom.
I am confident that the Ds are quite aware of the history of midterm elections in the USA. The party out of power typically makes headway in the midterms. With Biden's low approval rating, it would be a surprise if the Rs did not make headway.
So the Ds have their share of problems. But the problem that the Rs have, as JR noted, with their continued support of Trump is more severe and systemic. The R party seems unwilling to shed Trump and thus continue to be stained by that abysmal character.
Almost had a valid point--if Trump were running for office in the midterms.
And I have no such confidence as you do of what Democrats "know". Some people simply know many things which aren't true.
Good grief man, how could you possibly so badly misunderstand what I wrote?
Trump's tie to the GOP has nothing to do with him running in the midterms but has everything to do with the GOP treating him as their leader.
Hello??
Maybe if they paid better attention, that situation might be improved upon.
Good grief, how can you possibly think your writings are so difficult to understand? And apparently, you think anyone who disagrees with you "doesn't understand". That is simply your active imagination working overtime, or a display of condescension not usually seen.
Either way, we can agree to disagree.
That is the point, my posts are typically not difficult to understand. That is why your misunderstanding of what I wrote is significant.
Real simple: the GOP continues to view Trump as their leader. That, Texan, is a problem. Interpreting that point as invalid unless Trump is running for election in the midterms is remarkable.
Just because you have managed to type some words doesn't mean people don't understand them. They really aren't difficult to understand at all, ever, so I don't see where you get off thinking I can't understand them. That is merely your opinion which flies in the face of facts.
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You would be better off just giving your opinion on the topics in the news instead of spending so much time trying to interrogate people. First of all, you're not good at it, and second , if you stuck to your own commentary not as many people would think you are a troll.
Most people have no problem doing so and accurately understanding what I communicated.
You either did not understand what I wrote or you intentionally misrepresented it. Either way, the problem lies with you.
Continuing to view Trump as their leader is a fundamental problem for the GOP. This problem has nothing whatsoever with Trump running for election during the midterms (the bizarre, confused notion you introduced).
When I desire your advice, I'll let you know.
And for the record (again!), I don't care what anonymous people on the internet "think" of me. My life doesn't revolve around currying favor from anyone, let alone anonymous trolls.
Go Joe!
Go to hell Joe!
let's go darwin!
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YES!!!
Go away, Joe, go away!
Since you somehow cut off comments above (not sure how that happened) let me explain something for you. People here think that you do not or cannot understand anything because you consistently misconstrue everything. It really is that simple.
Here is another little thing since you have been crowing about the gop sweeping the midterms. Trump will not be on the ballot to bring out his lovers and Biden won't be on the ballot to bring out his haters. The choice people will be making will be for there own Representative in Congress.
The candidates the gop is running are deplorable and nobody wants to be represented by that bunch.
What does your post have to do with mine?
And what is this babble about "cut off above"?
I responded directly to what you wrote!
You called Impasse cutting off the comment thread above which made it impossible for me to reply to you up there and so I do so here.
You knew that so thanks for making my point!
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Do you understand the concept of impasse?
The impasse was to Tig and not to Jbb.
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Then why can I not reply within a comment thread on my own article and why are trolls allowed to disrupt and ruin it for everyone?
What other people's chosen misconceptions of what I write is their problem, not mine. While anonymous opinions are of importance to some, they aren't to me.
I hope to see you here the day after the elections.
Are you referring to these folks?
RealClearPolitics - Election Other - 2022 Generic Congressional Vote
Might actually want to READ this link.
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The person who calls for the impasse can no longer respond to the person they impassed to, or anyone else. This is to assure that the impasse is not abused as a way of just cutting people off who they don't want to talk to.
You should have been able to respond to anyone else on that thread.
Part of thread 4.2 removed for no value.