Coronavirus Surge Threatens Political Future of Joe Biden’s Presidency

President Joe Biden takes off his mask to speak about the COVID-19 pandemic during a prime
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Charlie Spiering

The growing number of coronavirus infections in the United States threatens the political success of President Joe Biden’s presidency.

The president and his team have spent months promoting his handling of the coronavirus and the vaccination effort with a steady drumbeat claiming success in the battle against the virus, but the milestones promoted as victories for the president are running thin.

Throughout his presidency, Biden and his team have argued by trusting the science and the federal health experts, he was able to bring America back to normal.

The Washington Post reported Saturday that Biden officials are “increasingly anxious” about the pandemic in America “spiraling out of control” and threatening his agenda, which is why they are pushing their “vaccinations for all” mantra.

The spread of the delta variant and the rise of new cases are together only expected to increase in the Fall as well as deaths per day.

A recent Gallup poll shows that President Joe Biden’s approval rating has slipped to 50, the lowest of his presidency.

The Biden White House tried to turn the corner on the fight against the virus on July 4, as leading up to his celebration at the White House the president repeatedly said it would be time to “declare our independence from this virus.”

Biden and his team also failed to make his public vaccination goal of 70 percent of American adults receiving at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by July 4.

But as cases rise, the president and his staff have struggled to take responsibility for it, blaming “misinformation” and blaming unvaccinated Americans for allowing the virus to spread.

Biden even hinted on Friday that it was the fault of Republicans for failing to promote the vaccines enough.

On Friday, Biden ridiculed conservatives and Republicans at a campaign rally for Terry McAuliffe in Virginia.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to reporters following a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony about the Biden administration’s ongoing plans to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and Delta variant. (Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

“By the way — you know the old expression — you notice a lot of our very conservative friends have finally had an ‘altar call,'” he said “They’ve seen the Lord, whether it’s on Fox News or whether it’s the most conservative commentators or governors.”

Biden’s White House has taken a more serious tone while pushing the coronavirus vaccines after the president previously promised “a summer of freedom, a summer of joy” that would allow Americans to return to normal life.

The White House went from promoting free beer, free sporting event tickets, and free doughnuts for the vaccinated before July 4th to a darker warning as the delta variant of the virus spread.

“I believe it was a CBS poll — that showed that vaccinated people in the country are more fearful about the Delta variant than unvaccinated people,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a press briefing on Thursday. “That’s clearly concerning to us because unvaccinated people should be more fearful.”

The Biden White House is also facing more pressure from the media to take stricter measures to combat the unvaccinated by developing vaccination mandates.

“Should the administration be taking a sharper tone against unvaccinated people for putting vaccinated people at risk?” asked one reporter on Friday, one of several questions from the White House press corps suggesting Biden could be doing more to push the vaccinations.

Team Biden also faces questions about their own handling of the resurgent virus among their own staff, and their attempt to hide the number of staffers who had contracted the virus despite being fully vaccinated.

The administration scrambled to react after Texas State Democrats traveled to Washington, DC, and a growing number of them tested positive for the virus after meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Vice President’s office refused to provide details about Harris’ health, arguing there was no need for her to get tested before Psaki revealed that the vice president was indeed tested for the virus as a precaution.

Psaki, however, has also refused to reveal the number of positive cases among White House staff.

“Why do you need to have that information?” she said on Friday, reacting to reporters who questioned her for details.

Despite widespread unpopularity, the Biden administration is considering restoring mask mandates in the United States, even for the vaccinated population.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci reverted to prophecies of doom, confirming in an interview the masking idea was “under active consideration” at the Centers for Disease Control.

“We’re going in the wrong direction,” Fauci warned in an interview on CNN, sharing a message that Biden officials in the White House will struggle with for the rest of 2021.

 

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