New polling out Tuesday morning from Axios and Ipsos shows that as multiple new domestic and international crises that have popped up and undermined President Joe Biden's ability to lead, there's one long-standing issue on which Biden is no longer trusted by a majority of Americans.
According to the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index, more than half — 53 percent — of Americans said they have "little or no trust" in President Biden's ability to provide accurate information about the Wuhan coronavirus.
"For the first time in his presidency, Joe Biden faces a trust deficit among Americans when it comes to COVID-19," reported Axios. "Fewer than half now say they trust the president, a 13-percentage point decline from his high water mark right after his inauguration in January."
For the first time in his presidency, Joe Biden faces a trust deficit among Americans when it comes to COVID-19, according to the latest Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. https://t.co/n5tBtpH7Ef
— Axios (@axios) September 28, 2021
Ipsos breaks down the numbers by party, finding that Democrat trust in Biden when it comes to COVID declined slightly more than among Republicans, but not nearly as much as it do among independents:
"Compared to the January high point, Biden has lost trust relatively evenly across the board from Democrats (an 11-percentage point decline to 81% trust a great deal or fair amount) and Republicans (a 10-point decline to 11%). He has experienced a slightly larger decline among independents (a 17-point decline to 42%)."
Joe "I'm going to shut down the virus" Biden appears to have a trust problem. https://t.co/HDOakbSGX3 pic.twitter.com/9fFL4ABVap
— Mike Berg (@MikeKBerg) September 28, 2021
The decline in the number of Americans who trust President Biden's word when it comes to the Wuhan coronavirus mirrors the president's falling numbers on overall job approval, a metric that saw Biden plummet 24 points among independents.
It's not just President Biden, though, where Americans are losing trust — the federal government in general saw declining trust overall, "to just under half (49%), compared to 54% two weeks ago."
Reading the tea leaves, Axios goes to far as to use the "M" word — malaise — to make a Jimmy Carter-tinged statement about what declining job approval and trust on a key issue means for President Biden and Democrats. "The latest findings point to malaise more than fear," Axios writes. "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."
President Biden "won on COVID, he surfed the first six months on COVID, but he's being challenged by it now because there's not a clear resolution in sight," Ipsos President of U.S. Public Affairs Cliff Young noted of the souring relationship Americans have with Biden over one of his campaign's major focuses.
The Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index also found that "compared to the past month, fewer Americans see going out as presenting a large risk to their health," but noted that lower risk assessment "has not translated to significant behavioral change" yet.