Story Highlights
- Biden’s job rating up four points since last month
- Uptick largely due to increase in independents’ approval
- Steady 20% approve of Congress’ job performance
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Two months after receiving the lowest approval rating of his presidency, President Joe Biden has seen his job rating rebound four percentage points in the past month to 43%, the highest point since last August. Fifty-four percent of U.S. adults disapprove of his job performance.
These latest data are from a June 1-22 Gallup poll, which began just as Congress was passing a bipartisan bill to raise the debt ceiling. Biden ultimately signed the bill on June 3, and the U.S. avoided defaulting on the federal debt. In other economic news, the nation’s unemployment rate remained below 4%, inflation showed signs of modest improvement, and the stock market’s performance was strong.
Biden’s 44% approval rating last August, which was his highest in 2022, also came after passing significant economic legislation -- the Inflation Reduction Act.
Biden’s improved job rating is owed mostly to independents, whose approval grew from 33% in May to 41% now. This is the highest approval rating independents have given Biden since August 2021.
At the same time, Democrats’ 82% and Republicans’ 6% current ratings are statistically similar to last month’s ratings.
Approval of Congress Stalled at 20%
While Biden may have benefited from negotiating a deal to raise the debt limit, Congress does not appear to have, as its job approval rating is 20%, unchanged from last month. Seventy-six percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing.
Approval ratings of Congress are highest among Democrats (31%), while fewer than one in five independents (17%) and Republicans (14%) approve.
Since January 2021, Democrats’ ratings of Congress have outpaced Republicans’ by a significant margin. However, with control of Congress divided in 2023, Democrats’ ratings of the institution have declined, and Republicans’ ratings are generally higher than they were in 2021-2022 under full Democratic control.
Bottom Line
In the wake of a tense negotiation with congressional Republicans to raise the country’s debt limit and avoid fiscal default, Biden has recorded his highest approval rating since last August thanks to independents, who often respond positively to bipartisanship.
Congress, on the other hand, remains poorly regarded by about three-quarters of Americans. The slight improvement in the U.S. inflation rate, continued low unemployment and recent positive stock market performance may be helping to boost Biden’s approval rating. If the inflation rate continues to fall, Biden may see a further rise in his job rating.
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