President Joe Biden’s approval rating has dropped to the lowest level of his presidency as questions about his health continue with a new report claiming aides are struggling to get the 80-year-old to evening or morning events.
Biden’s preference was 37% in a new Gallup poll this week, the lowest rating Gallup has measured for him to date. He started his presidency with a 57% approval rating and had an average of around 40.
And some close Biden advisers told Axios that the president has “reduced his energy, significantly curtailing his schedule.” They note that it is difficult to schedule public or private events in the morning, evening or on weekends. Most of the president’s events take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
All of this comes after Biden announced this week that he is seeking a second term in the White House.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates questioned the premise of the story and sent to DailyMail.com a response he sent to Axios, which was not included in their report: ‘Are these the same’ advisers and close allies’ you wrote in April? 3 “Don’t Expect Him To Announce A Re-Election Chance Anytime Soon?”
Biden’s preference was 37% in a new Gallup poll this week, the lowest rating Gallup has measured for him to date
Axios has broken down Biden’s schedule so far in 2023 and found:
- Only four public events before 10am
- Only a dozen public events after 6 p.m. – mostly dinners and receptions with foreign leaders or fundraisers.
- 12 full weekends with no public events.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O’Malley Dillon simply called the Axios report ‘Error’.
The White House staff protects the president, as does their job. Questions about how far they will go arose this week after Biden was pictured at a press conference Wednesday with “cheat sheets” — one card with a question expected to be asked at his press conference and the other with detailed instructions to the president about an earlier briefing.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said Biden’s staff could go too far. He urged them to let Biden lose and let him speak more off the cuff. Most of the president’s events are tightly scripted, and the staff often quickly pulls him into the next to limit any presidential spontaneity.
“I think his staff is protecting him too much,” Khanna told Fox News Friday morning. “Say him there in a press conference. Who cares if someone makes a blunder? Everyone does that in conversations. Let’s take a look at the authentic President Biden. He’s an empathetic person and the more he’s out there the better.”
For Friday, the first event on Biden’s public schedule is his national security briefing at 11:15 a.m. At 2:30 p.m., he welcomes the Air Force Falcons to the White House for the Commander’s Trophy. And at 6:45 p.m., he will address a Democratic Party fundraiser.
A White House official tells DailyMail.com that “the timing of our specific events is often such that they make the news in the best window.”
President Joe Biden struggled to remember the name of his favorite movie at an event with kids at the White House for Take Your Child to Work Day
Biden would be a night owl. Returning from Ireland, he spoke to reporters on the tarmac at 2:30 in the morning.
He also has a heavy travel schedule, including his recent secret trip in Ukraine, which required an overnight train ride from Poland to Kyiv before Biden continued his journey to meet with Western allies.
Biden has also traveled more than Barack Obama for the third year of his presidency, 30 trips compared to Obama’s 27.
Former President Donald Trump was also a late starter when he occupied the White House. His schedule for the morning famously had what aides called “executive time,” which was typically when Trump watched cable news and scrolled through Twitter.
The former president is also in the senior age range of candidates. If he wins in 2024, he would be 78 when inaugurated and 82 when he ends his term.
Biden and Trump have something else in common – both like to leave the White House on weekends to go to their private homes to recharge – Biden to Wilmington and Trump to Mar-a-Lago.
Republicans, however, are making Biden’s age an issue.
Nikki Haley predicted on Wednesday that Biden would die within five years and warned the country would see a President Kamala Harris.
“If you vote for Joe Biden, you really count on a President Harris. Because the idea that he would make it to 86 is not something I consider likely,” she said in an interview on Fox News.
At 80 years old, Biden is the oldest president in American history. And if he wins another term, he’d be 86 at the end.
Photographers picked up the memo, drafted by aides, with instructions for answering questions that reporters had provided in advance
On Thursday, Biden raised his eyebrows when he did an event with kids at the White House for Take Your Child to Work Day, but ran into answers about his grandchildren, the movie Top Gun and the last country he visited.
He had to rely on the kids to finish his answers to their questions and admitted he was “confused” before someone finally told him it might be time to return to the Oval Office.
It was the first questioning since he was spotted using a cheat sheet while answering questions from an LA Times reporter at a press conference.
His habit of relying on printed information cards for his press conferences dates back to the very beginning of his presidency, when a handy “cheat sheet” contained a predetermined list of which reporters he should call.
On Thursday, while holding an event with kids on the South Lawn, Biden struggled when he was asked softball questions on topics ranging from his favorite color to his favorite ice cream flavor.
He then stumbled when a kid asked what should have been an easy question; the last country he visited as president.
Instead, he mentioned how many leaders he has met as president.
“The last country I’ve traveled to — must be the last I’ve been, I’ve been to — 89 heads of state so far.
Finally after a pause a child shouted ‘Ireland!’ – Biden’s ancestral homeland which he visited earlier this month.
“You’re right, Ireland,” Biden replied. “There it was.”
Biden made the most of the event, staying longer than expected which his staff thought would be prudent
Biden talked about his favorite movie and his favorite color
Another child asked Biden to name his favorite movie. Biden opted instead to say his favorite movie of the year, but got a little help.
“My favorite movie was the new one about the guy who pilots jet planes. Do you know who I’m talking about?’ he asked, before a child answered “Top Gun.”
“Top Gun,” Biden continued. Have you seen Top One: Maverick?’
Biden had direct answers to other questions, saying his favorite color is blue and his favorite ice cream is chocolate chip.
At one point, the president seemed to know he was in danger. “I’m getting myself into trouble here because your parents say when he’s going to stop?” he joked.
After more than 20 minutes, one child had a question that seemed to channel what her parents might be thinking. ‘Mr. President, I hear you have to go back to the Oval Office,” she told him.