President Biden on Monday joked about serving two terms — despite his tanking approval ratings — when an owner of the visiting champion Milwaukee Bucks basketball team suggested players would like to visit for eight years in a row.
“I think that’s a good idea!” said Biden as he flashed a knowing smile and pointed approvingly toward the NBA team’s co-owner Marc Lasry.
Lasry, a billionaire hedge fund manager, had flattered the president with the notion as he spoke on the White House driveway in celebration of his team’s NBA championship.
“Hopefully we’ll come back here next year, sir, and we’ll do it again. You know, what the hell, why don’t we come back for the next four years? We’ll just keep coming back. You know what? Let’s do it for eight years,” Lasry said.
But Biden’s approval ratings suggest a re-election bid would be difficult.
A USA Today/Suffolk University survey released Monday found 37.8 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s performance in office. By contrast, 59 percent disapprove of Biden, whose ratings have been plunging since August.
While Biden smiles in response to a second term, the ratings still show that 59 percent disapprove of Biden. AP / Susan WalshJust 27.8 percent of respondents approved of Vice President Kamala Harris’s performance, while 51.2 percent disapproved.
A series of setbacks has contributed to Biden’s poor approval ratings, including high inflation and a supply-chain bottleneck, the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan, a continued US-Mexico border crisis and the resurgence of COVID-19 infections caused by the more contagious Delta variant.
The poor approval ratings were released after Biden finally got a legislative win Friday night with passage of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that left-wing Democrats had stalled over a demand for a larger still-pending social spending and environmental bill.
The Milwaukee Bucks basketball team visited the White House today in celebration of their NBA championship. AP / Susan Walsh
The poor approval ratings were released after Biden finally got a legislative win Friday night with passage of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. AP / Susan WalshBiden already is the oldest-ever president and then-President Donald Trump claimed last year that he was in mental decline. Biden turns 79 this month. He would be 86 if he completes two full terms and leaves office in 2029.
Biden said at a March press conference that he intends to run for a second term — in what could be a rematch against Trump.
“That is my expectation,” Biden said about seeking a second term.
