Biden rides high in polls as Americans back his handling of pandemic

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President Joe Biden is riding a wave of approval as Americans overwhelmingly back his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a new AP-NORC poll revealed Monday.

As he nears four months in the White House, Biden is seeing an enviable 63% overall approval rating.

Even more Americans approve of his handling of the pandemic, with 71% giving him high marks, including a remarkable 47% of Republicans.

Some 54% of those surveyed say the country is on the right track, higher than at any point in AP-NORC polls conducted since former President Donald Trump’s first months in office.

And 57% approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, although that figure is sharply divided by party with just 19% of GOP supporters approving.

Despite the rosy picture, the next phase of Biden’s presidency is likely to be much trickier. Vaccination rates have slowed, and the administration is grappling with how to persuade those who are reluctant to get the shots about their safety and efficacy.

Biden’s legislative agenda for the rest of this year faces major obstacles on Capitol Hill as Republicans continue to resist pleas for meaningful bipartisan cooperation while Democrats lack the unanimous support they would need to eliminate the filibuster. Without compromise on both sides of the aisle, reform initiatives including immigration policy, gun laws and voting rights will stand little chance of becoming a reality.

There are also potential warning signs emerging on the economic horizon. A new government report out Friday showed employers added just 266,000 jobs in April, sharply lower than in March and far fewer than economists had expected.

Biden argues that the report proves more federal spending is needed to help bolster the economy. He’s pitching to Congress a $4 trillion-plus package for spending on infrastructure, education and children measures that Republicans oppose as far too large.

What’s unclear is whether the employment slowdown will continue or how it will impact Americans’ views of Biden’s handling of the economy.

Ahead of Friday’s new jobs numbers, his approval ready on the economy stood at a solid 57%. But that could change if the nascent recovery stalls.