JOE’S GREAT DIVIDE

Disunity his fault: poll

Despite President Biden campaigning on uniting the US, most voters believe he is largely responsible for divisions among Americans, according to a recent poll.

The Trafalgar Group survey, conducted before Thanksgiving with the Convention of States Action, showed that 54.2 percent of likely general election voters thought Biden was “very responsible” or “somewhat responsible” for divisions among the American people.

By contrast, 45.8 percent said Biden was “not very responsible” or “not responsible at all.” Inevitably, a far larger percentage of Republicans (88 percent) blamed Biden for political strife than Democrats (21.3 percent). More than three-quarters (78.7 percent) of Democrats said Biden was “not very responsible” or “not responsible at all” for divisions, while only 12 percent of Republicans

thought the same.

Respondents who claimed no party affiliation also put the burden of responsibility on Biden — with 64.1 percent deeming him “very responsible” or “somewhat responsible” compared to the 35.9 percent who said he was “not very responsible” or “not responsible at all.”

Biden carried the unity theme of his campaign to his inauguration ceremony.

“The answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do,” the president said moments after being sworn in Jan. 20.

“We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this, if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”

The poll surveyed 1,092 likely general election voters between Nov. 13 and 16 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.97 percentage points.