Biden Approval Ratings Holding Steady Despite Dust-Up Over Classified Docs

The first polls tracking Americans’ approval of President Biden in the wake of a scandal over his handling of classified documents suggest that the dust-up has barely made a dent in the president’s popularity despite the rancor. The president has been facing criticism for his handling of classified documents after two batches were found at his office at the Penn Biden Center at Washington, D.C., and at his home in Delaware.A poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, released Thursday, found that 40 percent of Americans approved of Mr. Biden, up one point from its December poll.The same January poll also asked about the nation’s highest elected Republican, Speaker McCarthy, and found that his approval rating stood at 20 percent.Another poll, released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, found that the majority of Americans, 60 percent, believe that Mr. Biden acted inappropriately in handling classified documents.The plurality of Americans, however, did not think that Mr. Biden should face criminal charges, with 46 percent saying he should not face criminal charges compared to 37 percent who say he should.“Roughly two-thirds of Americans are aware of and troubled by the misplaced classified documents found in President Biden’s home and private office,” a Quinnipiac University polling analyst, Tim Malloy, said. “But is it a criminal case? No.”The Quinnipiac poll also found that the president’s approval rating had fallen four points, to 36 percent from 40 percent, since December. The same pollster’s November poll also had Mr. Biden’s approval rating at 36 percent.The Quinnipiac poll, which specifically asked about the documents, has notably lower numbers than the average of polls over the past week.At the moment, Mr. Biden’s administration appears unconcerned about a potential drop in the polls because of the document distraction. A White House principal deputy spokeswoman, Olivia Dalton, said as much to reporters Thursday.“There is other polling out there that shows the president’s support continues to grow,” she said.According to FiveThirtyEight’s average of polling, Mr. Biden’s average rating sits at 43.4 percent who approve and 51.3 percent who disapprove of him.Prior to the document scandal, Mr. Biden’s approval rating had been trending upward since the November election. Whether the scandal will prove to be a definitive turning point in his presidency, as many of Mr. Biden’s critics appear to hope, is unclear, and so far the data are inconclusive.

Biden Approval Ratings Holding Steady Despite Dust-Up Over Classified Docs

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