Strong jobs gains unlikely to boost Biden's standing with Americans

Another sign that the nation’s job market is roaring back after taking a gut punch from the coronavirus pandemic came Friday.

The U.S. economy added a healthy 431,000 jobs in March, and the nation’s unemployment level edged down to 3.6%, a new low since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, according to federal government statistics.

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President Biden highlighted the new figures, tweeting soon after the release of the report that "This is a historic recovery — Americans are back at work." 

"Our policies are working and we’re getting results for the American people," Biden touted in comments later Friday morning at the White House.

But polls suggest many Americans may not agree with the president, as soaring inflation and historic surges in gas prices over recent weeks appear in the court of public opinion to be overshadowing the robust jobs rebound and the accompanying rise in wages.

An overwhelming majority said rising gas prices are a problem for their family, over half of voters think inflation is "not at all" under control, and views on the economy remain decidedly negative, according to the most recent national poll from Fox News, which was conducted March 18-21. The survey also highlighted that more than two-thirds have had to cut back on spending to make ends meet, as a growing number say they are falling behind financially.

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Inflation is at its highest levels in decades, and the rise in consumer prices is being fueled in part by skyrocketing energy prices. Three in ten surveyed in a Quinnipiac University national poll conducted March 24-28 said inflation is the most urgent issue facing the country right now, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine a distant second at 14%.  

The gap was even more pronounced in a Kaiser Family Foundation national survey released on Thursday, where 55% of Americans pointed to inflation and rising prices as the biggest problem facing the country, with the war in Ukraine a distant second at 18%.  And an NBC News poll conducted March 18-22 indicated the cost of living beating jobs and the economy as the top issue by a 21%-16% margin. 

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While the president’s overall approval ratings remain solidly underwater, Biden’s standing on how he’s handling the economy and specifically inflation is even deeper in negative territory.

The president’s overall approval rating in the Fox News poll stood at 45%-54%. But his approval/disapproval dropped to 38%-59% on his handling of the economy and 31%-66% on dealing with rising prices. The two-thirds disapproving on inflation consisted of 89% of Republicans, nearly three-quarters of independents and even 39% of Democrats.

Biden approval rating on the economy stood at 34%-58% in the Quinnipiac survey.

"Until the pinch of higher prices lessens, it’s hard to imagine what Biden can say to help people feel better about the job he’s doing on the economy," said Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, whose firm conducts the Fox News survey with Republican Daron Shaw.

Just over half of those questioned in the Fox News poll also said that the president and his polices have made the economy worse, with just 22% saying they’ve improved conditions and a quarter suggesting they haven’t made much of a difference.

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Gas prices started rising during the final months of former President Trump’s administration, as the economy began to rebound from the pandemic-induced shutdowns earlier in 2020. And they’ve surged during Biden’s tenure in the White House as the economy’s heated up. Prices at the pump have further ignited during the past couple of months amid the Russian military buildup and ensuing invasion of Ukraine.

The president and his administration have repeatedly blamed Russian leader Vladimir Putin for soaring gas prices, calling it "Putin’s price hike."

"We need to do more to get prices under control," Biden said Friday before once against arguing that "Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has driven up gas prices and food prices all over the world."

But the Quinnipiac poll indicates that by a 41%-24% margin, Americans blame the president and his polices rather than the Ukraine war and the sanctions against importing Russian oil for the surging prices at the pump.

"What is more responsible when topping off the tank hurts? A raging war launched from Moscow, or an economic policy constructed in D.C.? More Americans say blame falls on the latter," Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy noted.

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All of this spells trouble for the resident and his party, as the Democrats try to hold onto their razor-thin majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate in November’s midterm elections.

When the Kaiser poll asked what will be the most important issue when voting in the midterms, the economy, inflation and rising prices were head and shoulders ahead of every other issue. Nearly half of Republicans, 36% of independents and even 30% of Democrats said the economy and consumer prices will outrank all other issues when deciding which candidates they’ll support come November.