Biden’s Approval Rating Stays Lower Than That of Harris, as She Loses Favorability, Poll Shows

The first woman and woman of color to serve in a national elected office, Harris has seen her ratings plummet during the year, presumably for an apparent lack of action on key issues entrusted to her, and in recent weeks has started irritating even her fellow Democrats.

Vice President Kamala Harris' approval ratings have fallen by a dramatic five percentage points since September, maintaining her record for having the lowest-rated first year of any vice president in history, while President Joe Biden's approval figures have recently dipped below those of his running mate and subordinate, a newly released Gallup Poll showed on Tuesday.

According to the survey results, 44% of Americans approve of Harris's job performance overall, while only 43% approve of Biden's. And although there is only a one-percentage-point difference in approval ratings, it might be considered a significant shift in approval tendencies by some, since in most of the recent polls, Biden, whose ratings themselves beat all the records for being the lowest in recent decades, was still more popular than his vice president.

However, this is not the case according to Gallup, since in September, Biden showed the same 43% approval rating.

The pollster noted that its trends on job approval ratings are limited, but said it is worth noting that Harris' approval rating has dropped from 49% since September, while her disapproval rating has risen to 54% from 49% previously.

Interestingly, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was the one who received the highest job approval rating of the 11 US leaders in the poll, with 60% approving of his performance.

Gallup noted that only two other leaders on the list, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (53%) and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci, are perceived positively by a majority of Americans (52%).

Trouble in the Biden-Harris White House

In December, Biden was repeatedly criticized from all sides of the political spectrum due to the administration's apparent lack of a clear plan to counter the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country, which he actually indirectly admitted to on Monday.

Raise your hand if you remember this lie from #NoPlanJoe 🙋🏻‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/iEOtHHBzTo

— Julia (@Jules31415) December 27, 2021

Meanwhile, Biden is dealing with his own political and legislative challenges, which are hurting his poll numbers as well.

Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has recently effectively killed the president's signature $1.9 trillion social spending program and a key campaign promise, by refusing to vote for it.

And more trouble is brewing for the president, as his failure to gain enough Democratic backing for his promised spending proposal has enraged progressive Democrats, sparking criticism from even those who were virtually 100% supportive of everything on Biden's agenda.

As for Harris, her approval rating has already been as low as 28%, according to the polls from the past couple of months. According to reports, the White House and Harris' staff have grown angry with each other as Harris battles to establish focus and order as vice president, while Harris' backers have claimed that Biden is denying her the chance to lead and succeed, effectively "setting her up" in order to crush her once-aspiring political future.

Harris' responsibilities, which include, among other things, dealing with the migrant situation at the US border, voting rights, and campaigning for Biden's major social policy bill, have been the target of scrutiny from conservative critics and a slew of campaigners due to slow progress.

Harris meanwhile has engaged in numerous trips across the nation, roundtables, and interviews before the end of the year to highlight the efforts of her office and the government.

In last week's interview, the vice president claimed that she does not feel she has been "set up" by her boss in terms of being given unsolvable problems that could bury her political prospects, and also reminded once again that she is the vice president and loves her job very much.

The poll was held between December 1 and 16 and surveyed a little over 800 persons in the US over the phone.