Biden
US Governors Agree that Brandon is Failing in his White House Performance
Governors from across the country have given President Joe Biden a “failing” or “poor” review, along with a “generous” D grade in connection to his performance in the White House. Many of them cite his lack of communication with the people, the rate of inflation, and the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal as the basis of their review.
“I think this is a failing administration, and I think it’s a real shame,” Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona told Fox News Digital during the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meeting in Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana gave the president a performance grade of “F.”
“I’m going to give the Biden administration a solid D,” Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) stated, adding, “And I’m trying to be generous there.”
Meanwhile, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) refused to give the president a letter grade. However, he said that “in terms of effectiveness, it’s been poor on effectiveness.”
“Whether you talk about border security, whether you talk about Afghanistan withdrawal, whether you talk about the inflation challenges we have, all of those areas the grade is poor,” Hutchinson added.
These comments come while Biden’s approval ratings continue to hover just above 40% because of voter concerns regarding several issues. These include rising inflation and foreign policy failures, among others.
A number of governors spoke to news outlet Fox News Digital, and many of them cited the president’s lack of communication with executives in different states as part of their basis for the low grades.
“Their communication is just terrible,” Sununu commented. “And from a leadership perspective, communication is everything. Communication builds public confidence and builds transparency.”
“I sure as heck did not vote in support of President Biden when he was running for office, but there was an expectation with a lot of those independents in America that said, ‘well, I’m hoping he will use his relationships, reach across the aisle, build consensus, find some way to get Republicans’ voice in there … not come in with an authoritarian approach … make it a one-size-fits-all,” Sununu went on to say..
On the other hand, Hutchinson said, “We look for effectiveness and we look for some measure of bipartisanship, and we really haven’t seen that yet.”
Gianforte chimed in, saying governors “have not seen the engagement” they were hoping for. “Twenty-six governors sent the president a letter in September asking for a meeting. We have not gotten a response,” he continued.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) mentioned that, during the previous administration, he and other governors met via a call, usually with the president, vice president, and Health and Human Services secretary.
He noted that “Now the call is with somebody much lower down. This administration said they’re going to work with Congress to get their initiatives done, at the expense of working with us, the governors, who have to get things done.”
Little also stated that he’s not the only one who has this assessment of the current administration.
“Even my Democratic colleagues say they got better service form the Trump White House than they are from the Biden White House,” Little stated, adding, “That was just a difference in style, that was the biggest part of it.”
According to the Idaho governor, the variance in the two administrations’ approaches has caused Biden’s administration to push through with policies even without giving states the flexibility to implement them. “We’d love the flexibility to address it because all 50 states are vastly different, and what works in Idaho doesn’t work in Virginia or Maryland,” he said.
Multiple governors also slammed the president for running as a moderate while failing to govern in the way that he claimed.
According to Ducey the only day Biden governed “in those terms” was during his inauguration.
“The failed exit from Afghanistan, the surging inflation that’s a hidden tax on everyone in this country, the highest cost of everyday living that we’ve seen in 40 years, the crisis at the border that’s not only affecting Arizona but every state with fentanyl spilling in, and now this muddled policy in Ukraine, we’ve never projected more weakness on the global stage, and there’s no real sense to his economic policy,” Ducey mentioned.
Even with the heavy criticism against Biden and his policies, along with his lack of communication, several governors admitted that they have been in contact and that they have a good relationship with the president.
“We’ve had a lot of interaction with the Biden administration, and before that with the Trump administration, in regard to the pandemic,” Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) said. He added: “That’s been a lot of contact, and look, we’ve had a good relationship in regard to the pandemic with the Trump administration, and we’ve had a good relationship with the Biden administration. So, these are not partisan issues. These are issues where we’re trying to save lives, and also keep people working and keep our economy moving.”
According to Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, there’s a lot more work to be done, and “nobody’s perfect.” However, he added that both the public and the media need to focus more on what has been accomplished by the current administration.
“I’m not big into grades, but I do think we focus, I think all of us, media or otherwise, on what didn’t get done. I think we should shine a light on what did get done,” Murphy said.
The New Jersey governor highlighted just a few accomplishments by the Biden administration, including the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan infrastructure bill. He also highlighted the progress on pandemic response.
A few governors are hoping for a change to happen in the Biden administration’s policies and actions.
“Hopefully there’s a pivot and a change, but nobody’s seeing it right now, and that’s why they’re sitting at 38% approval,” Sununu admitted..
“I’d have to give them a failing grade, and they’re going to need a lot of work to turn this around,” Ducey also stated.
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