Psaki says Biden’s lagging poll numbers on COVID-19 mainly due to frustrations, not president's job

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President Biden’s lagging poll numbers when it comes to his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak are the result of Americans being frustrated with the virus, not the job the president has done in navigating the pandemic, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary said Wednesday.

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The specific poll was not mentioned. Earlier this week, an Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index poll showed 53% of Americans say they have little or no trust in Biden when it comes to COVID.

Psaki said she believes that the polls are "more a reflection of people being sick and tired of COVID."

She said some people who are vaccinated are frustrated that others refuse to take the jab, and blamed "the rise of Delta" (the variant) for crimping the U.S.’s return to normal.

"Ultimately, and the president has said many times, the buck stops with him," she said. "The way to solve it is to continue to get more people vaccinated and get people’s lives returning back to normal."

No global leader has been unscathed politically by the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been violent protests over lockdowns in countries like France and Denmark and some Trump supporters believe the former president would have carried 2020 had it not been for the virus.
 

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Axios reported that the poll points to "malaise more than fear" among Americans but "malaise could spell real trouble for a Democratic president who built his support on a pledge to steer the nation out of crisis — and whose party's bare House and Senate majorities are on the line in 2022."

The report pointed out that in late January, 58% of Americans trusted the president with the virus.

Cliff Young, the president of Ipsos U.S. public affairs, told the news outlet that Biden won on COVID and "surfed the first six months" on the virus. 

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"But he's being challenged by it now because there's not a clear resolution in sight," he said.