Biden’s lost popularity among black Americans reflects wider problems 

New research has found that Joe Biden’s popularity as a U.S. Presidential candidate among Black American voters has nosedived more than a year after he assumed office as the President of the United States.

One of the questions that stood out in the survey (among black Americans) was: overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat? 

During the Presidential campaign, Joe Biden, (the candidate) enjoyed the approval of 90 percent of black voters when faced with the same question. 

At the time, Biden campaigned strongly against racial injustice in the U.S. and pledged to take measures that would ease racial division in America.

He repeatedly described his Predecessor Donald Trump as a racist who polarized the U.S. further, than it was polarized before, by tapping into extremist white ideologies. 

That support among the black American population is widely believed to have helped Biden in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election that he won. 

According to the survey, some two years later, the number of black Americans who approve of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president has dropped from 90 percent to 70 percent. 

And whether Black Americans feel that way strongly or somewhat [strongly]? only 23 percent answered strongly, while 47 percent said somewhat. 

The President’s job performance has taken a hit with his approval ratings dropping across the board in the country and the new data will certainly add to the pressure among democrats ahead of the mid-term November elections. 

Asked how likely are you to vote in the November election for the U.S. House and some U.S. Senate and governor seats? 54 percent answered they were absolutely certain to vote, compared with 71 percent who answered the same question,  absolutely certain to vote, for the November midterm election back in August 2020. 

The drop in enthusiasm among Black Americans to vote can be put down to the job performance of Biden. 

Less than a quarter of the respondents “strongly approve” of the president’s job performance and 28 percent disapprove (either “strongly” or “somewhat”) with Biden’s work in office.

Just 60% of black voters say Biden is keeping most of his major campaign promises, while 37 percent answered that he is not. These issues include the rising cost of living amid record inflation levels, voting rights and policing reform, 

When asked about how much is the threat of restrictions on voting rights to Black people in America today? A worrying 73 percent of respondents said it is “a major threat”. 

82 percent said police brutality is “a major threat to black people in America today”, 84 percent replied racism is “a major threat to black people in America today”, 82 percent answered the criminal justice system is “a major threat to black people in America today”, 72 percent said the lack of economic opportunity is “a major threat to black people in America today”, 85 percent say gun violence is “a major threat to black people in America today” and 76 percent believe the cost of health care is “a major threat to black people in America today”. 

The poll also shows that Biden is not to be blamed by everyone for his weak job performance. The survey reveals that respondents believe Democrats have failed to deliver despite being in control of both houses of Congress in addition to the Presidency. 

“The Democratic Party doesn’t attack like a fist, they attack like five fingers. They go in different directions,” was the answer of one respondent, while another noted that the president could hardly be expected to do so much following on the heels of “someone as extreme as Trump” and believed that the Democrat-controlled Congress was in fact working against Biden.

However, it seems there is no influential list of party nominees to replace Biden for the top job in the  2024 elections, with most black voters supporting Biden over the alternative nominees presented to them in the survey. 

Only 43 percent say they would back the incumbent, with 29 percent in favor of the current Vice President Kamala Harris followed by seven percent for the Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 18 percent say they are in favor of someone new. 

Analysts say the poll reflects the views of other surveys where Americans are fed up on a wide variety of issues the U.S. President has failed to address on top of taking any measures to tackle racial divisions and inequality that he said he would undertake during the campaign trail. 

Experts argue the wider factor that Biden’s popularity has nosedived is because he has essentially failed to address any of the problematic matters that the U.S. faces both on the domestic and international front. 

In essence, the Biden White House is following in the footsteps of the Trump White House. 

On the domestic front, the man in the Oval Office has broken his campaign promise not to raise taxes and to provide prosperity by bringing costs down.

Experts argue he has broken his promise to protect American workers, be being “the most pro-union president in history” and “put American workers first”.

He broke his promise to “make child care possible”, experts say it has doubled, and he broke his promise “to keep Americans safe.” Despite his pledge to protect Americans and their families; homicides, mass shootings, and gun violence have reached record numbers. 

Just over the past month, a terrorist attack against Black Americans and a school shooting at an elementary school killed dozens. 

Biden has also broken his repeated promises to deal with the southern border issues and has (like his predecessor) failed to treat asylum seekers in a humane manner. 

The U.S. President has also broken his campaign promise to unify a very polarized nation, to be “accountable” and “take responsibility” and not politicize the judicial system. The list is endless. 

On the international front, Biden pledged to end support for the Saudi-led U.S.-backed war on Yemen, which would include an end to offensive arms sales to the Kingdom which he described as a “pariah” state. 

Biden has however continued U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia including offensive weaponry.

On top of that, he pledged to end the war on Yemen, but the Biden administration played no role in the two-month truce that has just been extended for another two months. 

The UN special envoy to Yemen, in his statement praising the extension of the two-month ceasefire between the Saudis and Yemeni forces, extended his gratitude to regional parties for playing a role in the truce and it’s extension; yet there is no mention of the United States. 

Despite describing Saudi Arabia as a  pariah state, Biden will visit the Kingdom along with the Israeli regime occupying the Palestinian territories next month. 

The Biden White House’s position and stance towards China and Russia remain the same (Washington stands accused of provoking the war in Ukraine). His pledge to return to the Iran nuclear deal has failed to materialize. He has continued the controversial sanctions regime against other countries just like his predecessor. 

Biden also broke his promise to complete the withdrawal from Afghanistan in a “responsibly, deliberately and safely” manner. 

The U.S.-led Afghan withdrawal was heavily criticized internationally and will go down in history for its chaotic and disastrous manner. 

Following the withdrawal, Biden left Afghanistan in a state of poverty and added to the humanitarian crisis by freezing the country’s assets.

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