Biden buoyed by independents at 100 days?

 

President Joe Biden delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House

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WASHINGTON — As President Biden approaches 100 days in office, one of the secrets to his relatively strong numbers in the new NBC News poll is his standing with independents.

And these independents will be key to watch when we start looking ahead to 2022 and 2024 because they are the majority-makers in our polarized times.

Right now, independents in the poll look more like Democratic respondents, and they’re responsible for his numbers being north of 50 percent almost across the board:

• 53 percent of all Americans approve of Biden’s job, including 90 percent of Democrats, 61 percent of independents but just 9 percent of Republicans
• 69 percent approve of his handling of the coronavirus, including 94 percent of Democrats, 81 percent of independents (!!!), and even 36 percent of Republicans.
• 52 percent approve of Biden’s job when it comes to uniting the country, including 82 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of independents but just 15 percent of Republicans.
• And 59 percent think Biden’s infrastructure plan is a good idea, including 87 percent of Democrats, 68 percent of independents but just 21 percent of Republicans.

That’s the good news for Biden in the poll. But here’s what happens when these independents join the other side:

• 34 percent of all Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the gun issue, including 59 percent of Democrats, 36 percent of independents and just 6 percent of Republicans.
• And just 33 percent approve of his handling of the border and immigration, including 60 percent of Democrats, 33 percent of independents and 5 percent of Republicans.

Bottom line: Biden gets to a majority coalition when you combine universal support from Democrats and majority-plus support from independents — pretty much what we saw play out in the 2020 presidential election.

But when you take away those independents?

That’s when the trouble begins.

More from the poll: 55 percent support a more active government

The poll shows that the other secret to Biden’s early success in these (almost) first 100 days has been the American public’s support for a more active government.

Per the poll, 55 percent of adults agree with the statement that the government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people, versus 41 percent who agree with the statement that the government is doing too many things that are better left to businesses and individuals.

That majority-plus support for doing more — backed by 82 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of independents — is consistent with what our poll found during Donald Trump’s four years in the White House.

But it’s a reversal from the Obama Era when the percentage of Americans in favor of government doing more was often below 50 percent.