MSNBC host baffled that Biden's 'big wins' aren't translating into higher approval ratings

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MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle stumped on why Biden’s ‘big wins’ not reflected in poor approval rating

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle admitted Tuesday she was stumped as to why President Biden's approval rating wasn't higher amid what she claimed were his ‘big wins’ on a number of domestic and international issues.

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle admitted Monday she was stumped that President Biden's approval ratings weren't higher amid what she claimed were his "big wins" on a number of domestic and international issues. 

During a segment on "The 11th Hour," first reported on by NewsBusters, the liberal host noted Biden's tumbling approval rating in a new NBC News Poll, but sought "to add a little context" and "bring in some facts" about what the administration had been doing on several points on which voters felt it had performed poorly.

"The next headline sounds alarming. Quote, ‘Biden’s job approval falls to the lowest level of his presidency amid war and inflation fears.’ But let’s add a little context to those fears. Let’s bring in some facts," Ruhle said. 

She went on to list what she felt were successes by the Biden administration while headlines from various, mostly liberal, outlets promoting the alleged accomplishments flashed on the screen.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 24: Stephanie Ruhle, Anchor, MSNBC, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit - Day 2 at Grand Hyatt New York on September 24, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

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"The United States is already sending billions in military and economic support to Ukraine, and there is every indication economic sanctions are strangling the Russian economy. Right now, NATO is as unified as it has ever been. And while inflation here at home is still a big problem, jobless rates are the lowest they have been in more than 50 years. And as the American people recover from Covid-19, so does our economy," Ruhle stated.

She admitted those factors weren't translating to American voters and cited the NBC Poll showing Biden's approval rating at 40%, a new low, with 55% disapproving. The poll also showed only 28% of respondents had "a great deal, or quite a bit of," confidence in Biden's handling of the situation in Ukraine, with 71% having "just some" or "very little."

Ruhle was joined by NBC News correspondent Yamiche Alcindor and MSNBC political analyst Charlie Sykes and she asked them why Biden was facing such poor poll numbers.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the Royal Castle, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Warsaw, Poland March 26, 2022. Slawomir Kaminski /Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND. (Reuters)

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"I just ran down some significant hard evidence positives that we're experiencing and Biden can tell. Why isn’t he reaping the benefits in the polls? These are big wins," Ruhle said.

Sykes argued that voters were focused on other issues, like border security, crime and inflation, and that the Biden administration has suffered from "muddled messaging." 

"Look, you and I can go on for some time with the facts, and we could also observe the Republicans are losing their minds, and behaving in extreme ways," said Sykes. "But, right now, the Democrats are in charge. And at some point, I do think that Joe Biden has to come up with some sort of a reset. Find a way to connect to the American people in a way that he hasn't, use the bully pulpit more effectively." 

Ruhle questioned the need for "a reset" and again cited Biden's handling of Ukraine and the economy, as well as the massive infrastructure bill he signed into law in 2021.

President Biden speaks about the COVID-19 variant named omicron, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington. as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases listens.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Sykes responded, "He's not getting credit for these things. I mean, that's part of the problem. Politics is about perception as well as reality and Joe Biden has not connected himself with a lot of that. 

"The Democrats spent a lot of last year fighting with one another, and talking about whether their agenda was being derailed. So, as a result, there’s not that wind at his back, where he is the leading figure behind the economic recovery, behind the end of the pandemic. He needs to take credit for what he is doing to talk about that. But he needs to do it clearer."

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Alcindor closed out the discussion, echoing Sykes and arguing the Democrat Party needs to rally around the president and "double down" on his messaging.

According to Alcindor, Democratic pollsters say, "[T]this really comes down to the Democratic Party rallying around the president and really echoing some of the things that the president has been saying…

"Let's remember, that the White House has been saying that this is Putin's price hike. That was the words that they were using, and Democrats in some ways, based on my reporting and talking to Democrats, they're sort of frustrated with the situation, they say that the party needs to double down on that."