Experts say US President Joe Biden’s entire first-term agenda could be jeopardised if he fails to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
The embattled president Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting amid a slew of crises, including his botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, skyrocketing urban crime, and a crisis at the US-Mexico border, to name a few.
Analysts warn that the most pressing concern for the president is the rapidly spreading Delta variant, which is rife among the unvaccinated.
Indeed, according to a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac, a leading polling university, only 38% of Americans believe the president is doing a good job, down from 42% just three weeks ago.
Furthermore, only a quarter approved of the president’s handling of immigration, 39% approved of his handling of the economy, and 37% approved of him as Commander-in-Chief, according to the poll.
“Battered on trust, doubted on leadership, and challenged on overall competency, President Biden is being hammered on all sides as his approval rating continues its downward slide to a number not seen since the tough scrutiny of the Trump administration,” Quinnipiac said, referring to former President Donald Trump.
Analysts believe that controlling the Delta surge is the key to a successful comeback.
However, millions of Americans continue to refuse the vaccine due to concerns about potential side effects and misinformation spreading on social media. Others are concerned because the vaccine is so new, having been developed in record time through a public-private partnership led by former President Trump.
However, for Biden, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Experts believe that if the president can get things under control now, his approval ratings will rise in the coming months.
If he does not, he may face a leadership crisis, and Democrats in Congress may distance themselves from him in the run-up to next year’s midterm elections.
Fortunately for Biden, he may still have time on his side, as the midterm elections are still a year away.
“It doesn’t matter so much whether his numbers are down right now. What matters is whether his administration can execute a plan for success in the pandemic, as well as the economy, that people will feel in six months,” Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua.
