President Joe Biden has become irritated by his recent poor showings in polling, according to a new report.
In one moment of frustration during a meeting with close aides at the White House days before Thanksgiving, Biden had "stern words" about his lackluster polling, the Washington Post reported Monday. Biden complained in that meeting that he was still struggling despite his messaging about an improving economy.
At the time, Biden was trailing former president Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, in the RealClearPolitics polling average by just under 2 points, and Trump's lead would widen in that metric to over 2.5 points in the following week. Additionally, Biden's approval rating in the same measurement sat just below 41 percent, with his disapproval at just below 56 percent. Biden at the time also had poor showings against Trump in polls of battleground states, the Post noted.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates told the Post that his team does not "discuss the President’s private conversations one way or the other," adding that "the President and first lady meet regularly with their senior team for updates and to review plans."
Despite the reported private show of frustration, Biden has projected a positive attitude in public. Politico on Monday compiled three times since the beginning of November when Biden has insisted his approval is positive. Most recently, when a reporter asked him Sunday about negative polling, Biden responded, "You're reading the wrong polls."
Biden's poll numbers have not improved since Thanksgiving. He hit an all-time low approval in CNN polling earlier this month, and a poll from Morning Consult and Bloomberg saw him trailing Trump in seven swing states. Polling this month from the Wall Street Journal showed Trump beating Biden, but it also indicated that Biden would take a 1-point lead if Trump receives a felony conviction in one of his prosecutions.