Discovery Of Classified Documents At Biden’s Home Had No Major Impact On His Approval Rating, Poll Finds

Topline

The discovery of classified documents at President Joe Biden’s residence and former office has not caused a major shift in his overall approval ratings, according to a new AP-NORC poll, even though a plurality of Americans disapprove of his handling of the issue.

Key Facts

According to the poll conducted in the last week of January, 41% of Americans expressed approval of Biden’s handling of the presidency, slightly down from 43% in December.

On the issue of Biden’s handling of the classified documents, 39% of all Americans said they disapproved compared to 23% who said they approved while 36% said neither.

Sentiment on the handling of the classified documents issues is divided along partisan lines with 68% of Republicans saying they disapprove compared to 15% of Democrats and 34% of independents.

Both the negative and positive assessment of Biden’s handling of the issue rise as people hear and read more about the classified documents, the poll found, with 50% of this cohort saying they disapprove compared to 34% who say they approve.

Only 28% of Americans have heard or read a lot about the discovery of classified documents compared to 35% who have heard something about it and 37% who have heard little or nothing about it.

Big Number

57%. That is the percentage of Americans who disapprove of Biden’s job as president, according to the poll. A majority of Americans have expressed disapproval of Biden’s job since the beginning of last year with the number peaking at 62% in July last year.

Key Background

Classified documents from Biden’s tenure as vice president were first discovered at one of his former offices at the Biden Penn Center in November. Additional documents were then recovered from the President’s Delaware home in December and January. The President’s aides said in all of these instances the documents in question were returned immediately to the National Archives. Later in January, FBI agents found at least six more items with classified markings from Biden’s home—dating back both to his term as vice president and a U.S. Senator. Biden’s lawyer said the FBI search was carried out after the President voluntarily offered access to his Wilmington property and agents also additional materials, including several handwritten notes from Biden’s time as vice president. FBI agents conducted a search of Biden’s vacation property in Rehoboth on Wednesday but found no documents.

Further Reading

Biden approval steady after document discovery: AP-NORC Poll (Associated Press)