Weekly Biden Report Card: Fails in Israel, on border, with voters

This week’s White House Report Card finds President Joe Biden sputtering through December, his polls stuck in the danger zone, his urgings for a longer cease-fire in Israel ignored, more illegal migrants crossing the border than ever in history and his son stuck in a battle with Congress.

For some, his situation was exemplified by the National Christmas Tree that fell over two days before Biden was to light it.

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There was one positive for the president. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a Fox debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, appeared to back Biden up and tamp down wishes that he would challenge the president in 2024. And with each week comes the growing difficulty that any white knight can enter the race because of closing deadlines to get on state primary ballots.

Democratic pollster John Zogby highlighted the improving economic numbers in grading Biden’s week a “C.” But he also noted that nothing appears to be helping to push up Biden’s approval rating.

Conservative analyst Jed Babbin, in grading the week an “F,” touched on many of the administration’s ultra-left moves to explain why many voters just don’t like Biden.

Jed Babbin
Grade: F

Emulating President Joe Biden, the National Christmas Tree fell over and was stood up with others’ help. As for Biden, perhaps the highlight of his week was a mid-week speech in which he stumbled, fumbled and bumbled along citing “Congressman Trump” and bragging that he had a code to blow up the world, saying, “Now look, my, my marine carries that. It has a code to blow up the world. That doesn’t, this is not, nuclear weapons is it, alright, OK, you think I’m kidding.”

There was a lot of other damage done, from Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists to the Department of Homeland Security’s declaration on pronouns.

The Israel-Hamas truce to obtain the release of hostages was prolonged to nearly a week by pressure from Biden, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and CIA Director Bob Burns. All of these pressures were directed at Israel, not Hamas, and sought to reduce the chances that Hamas would actually be defeated. (Hamas was violating the terms of the truce by killing Israelis in attacks in the West Bank area.) Blinkey went so far as to tell the Israelis that they didn’t have the credibility to fight a long war in the Gaza Strip. Fortunately, the Israelis blew past Biden & Co. to resume their war on Friday.

To make things worse, Biden reportedly apologized to U.S. Islamic leaders for doubting the casualty figures that Hamas was publishing, which are undeniably false and hugely exaggerated.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Biden was invoking a Cold War-era law to require more use of supposedly energy-efficient heat pumps and crack down on the use of gas stoves. And, to top off the week, the Department of Homeland Security ordered Border Patrol agents to use the pronouns illegal aliens prefer and avoid using terms such as “sir” or “ma’m.” Never let it be said that the Biden crew has its priorities totally screwed up.

Despite a Supreme Court ruling which held that the president lacks the legal authority to forgive student loans, Biden sent a message to about a million of the loan borrowers saying that he was forgiving their loans. It was another example of Biden violating the Constitution to buy votes.

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It was another week in which Biden earned a grade lower than an “F” if there were one.

John Zogby
Grade: C

The GDP is now annualized at 5.2% growth, a stunning figure. The rate of inflation is holding steady at the 3% level. About $130 billion in student loans have been forgiven. There will be no threat of a government shutdown for months. And the price of gasoline at the pump is down about 25 cents per gallon.

But President Joe Biden hovers around 40% job approval rating and is trailing former President Donald Trump in pretty much every poll out there. With less than a year before voters go to the polls, Biden is not in a good position.

Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin

John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on Twitter @ZogbyStrategies