Biden delivered his annual State of the Union address one week ago, but considering the state of our union is abysmal, polls show voters weren’t impressed.
Four of the five polls conducted since Biden’s “fiery” appearance show the White House failed to make up lost ground after the president sought to reassure voters — who are concerned, among other things, about the 81-year-old being too mentally and physically fragile to lead.
According to a Forbes/HarrisX poll of more than 2,000 registered voters from March 8-10, 59 percent said Biden’s speech did more to divide than unify America, compared to 41 percent who said otherwise.
Just 37 percent of those surveyed approve of Biden’s job as president, which is one point below his aggregate approval rating maintained by FiveThirtyEight. When asked whether respondents would cast their vote for Biden or his 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump, if the election were held today, Trump had a five-point lead, 41 to 46 percent, well beyond the survey’s 2.2 percent margin of error. Of the independent respondents, 44 percent selected Trump while only 29 percent went with Biden.
In contrast to Biden’s performance, Trump and former President Barack Obama saw post-speech bumps in their respective 2015, 2016, and 2018 State of the Union addresses, according to Gallup.
“The issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are; it’s how old are our ideas,” Biden said from the center of the House chamber last week. “Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas. But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.”
The president’s speech, however, opened with threats to the Supreme Court and claims that the regime’s political opponents are existential threats to democracy, which only alienated voters. In fact, Trump, who faces 88 state and federal charges as Democrats seek to bar their chief rival from the ballot this fall, continues to perform better than Biden on most national polls. Meanwhile, Americans, remain anxious about the southern border, the deteriorating economy, and global turmoil, all presided over by a leader with a floundering memory.
The propaganda press, however, celebrated Biden’s joint election-year address. In their telling, the elderly president’s speech restored his public image and proved he’s energetic and ready to lead for another four years.
“Biden stares down questions about his age and fitness for office with spirit,” headlined coverage by NBC.
“The media’s coverage of Biden’s age needs a rethink,” suggested Vox.
The New York Times couldn’t cram enough fawning descriptors into its “News Analysis”: “forceful,” “confrontational,” “pumped up,” “defiant and feisty,” and “commanding and energized.”
Moments after the president stepped down from the podium, however, Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume suggested otherwise. Americans, Hume said, saw little more than “an angry old man.”
“Voters didn’t like the State of the Union address as much as reporters did,” wrote James Freeman in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.