AP-NORC poll: Biden bolstered by strong marks on pandemic

Americans are broadly supportive of President Joe Biden’s early handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a new poll finds, and approval of his stewardship of the economy has ticked up following passage of the sprawling $1.9 trillion relief bill.

But Americans are more critical of Biden’s early approach to some of the hotbutton issues that are moving to the forefront, including guns and immigration, according to the survey from The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The president has outlined goals for tackling both issues, but has made clear that they are not his immediate legislative priorities.

“I’m going to deal with all those problems. The question is the priorities as they come and land on my plate,” Biden said in a news conference last week.

Biden’s early weeks in office have made it abundantly clear that his top priority is curtailing the pandemic: urging Americans to take precautionary measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, prioritizing the rollout of vaccines, and pushing the relief bill through Congress in a party-line vote. Vaccine distribution has soared since Biden took office, with more than 96 million Americans having received at least one dose.

Americans have responded favorably to the president’s approach, with 73% approving of his handling of the pandemic. That includes about half of Republicans, a rarity given how divided Americans have been along party lines on many key issues in recent years.

Notably, Biden’s approval rating on the economy has ticked up slightly since passage of the relief bill, which included direct payments to millions of Americans and aid to schools and state and local governments. Sixty percent of Americans now say they approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, compared with 55% a month ago.

Overall, Biden’s job approval sits at 61% as he enters his third month in office, according to the APNORC survey. That is well above the approval ratings for his predecessor, Donald Trump, at this same point in his presidency. Trump’s overall approval rating never topped 50% in an APNORC survey.