US President Joe Biden’s approval rating among Democrats has fallen amid the Israel-Hamas war and is now at its lowest point since he took office, according to a new Gallup poll.
The president’s rating dropped 11 points within his own party, down from 86% to 75%.
This drop comes after Hamas’s surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, which triggered a full-scale war between Israel and the terrorist organization.
The US president pledged unwavering support for Israel but Democrats are divided over the conflict.
“Biden’s immediate and decisive show of support for Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas appears to have turned off some in his own party,” Gallup wrote.
Democrats divided on Israel-Hamas war
Some prominent Democrats criticized Biden for aligning too closely with Israel and not doing enough for the Palestinians, with many lawmakers and protesters around the US calling for Biden to do more to help the millions of Palestinians who are in need of humanitarian aid as Israel attempts to eradicate Hamas.
Another Gallup poll from earlier this year found that US Democrats are more sympathetic toward the Palestinians than Israel, which is a massive shift from just a few years ago when most Americans in both parties were more sympathetic toward Israel.
Biden’s current 75% approval rating among Democrats is below the 86% average from his own party throughout his presidency and still well above his rating among all US adults.
Overall, just 37% of respondents approved of the job Biden is doing as president — down four points from the month prior and matching the lowest level of his presidency. Including the latest 37% job rating and an identical reading in April, Biden’s approval has fallen below 40% four times in the 33 readings Gallup has taken since he took office.
Among independents, the president’s approval rating fell from 39% to 35%. Republicans’ views were unchanged from September to October, just 5% approve of the president.
Biden’s job approval rating during his 11th quarter in office averaged 40.0%, just below last quarter’s 40.7%. His average quarterly approval rating has not risen above 42.0% since his third quarter in office, when it registered 44.7%. Biden’s 11th-quarter average approval rating is about the same as President Donald Trump’s over the same period, according to Gallup.
The Gallup poll was conducted Oct. 2-23 with a total of 1,009 respondents.
