Biden's approval rating edges lower amid economic concerns - poll

US President Joe Biden's public approval fell to 39% this month, nearing the lowest level of his presidency, as the US economy showed signs of losing steam, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

The three-day poll, which ended on Sunday, showed a modest decline from last month, when 42% of respondents said they approved of Biden's performance as president.

Biden's popularity declined almost steadily after he took office in January 2021, bottoming out at 36% in mid-2022. It has remained near that level since then.

Biden declared last Friday he was running for re-election in 2024 but he has yet to formally launch his campaign.

He is not expected to face serious competition for the nomination of his Democratic Party, but his approval levels remain low by historical standards.

Donald Trump, who is also running for president in 2024, spent much of his 2017-2021 presidency with similarly low approval levels, bottoming out at 33% in December 2017. Previous presidents only occasionally experienced approval levels that low.

Economy cited as biggest problem facing the US

Respondents in the Reuters/Ipsos poll were most likely to cite the economy as the biggest problem facing the country, with one in five pointing to it. Crime and the environment were each picked by about one in 10 respondents as America's top problem.

One potential bright spot for Biden: 68% of respondents said they were opposed to federal courts overturning FDA approval of mifepristone, an abortion drug.

The result was the latest to show a clear majority of Americans siding against efforts to curtail abortion rights.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses from 1,029 US adults, using a nationally representative sample. The poll has a margin of error of three percentage points.