Americans have a dim view of Joe Biden’s handling of the biggest foreign policy crisis of his presidency so far, with only a quarter saying he responded well to the Hamas attack on Israel.
In contrast, some 37 percent said he had handled the events poorly, according to an exclusive poll for DailyMail.com.
Biden is under intense pressure for the way he responded after Hamas terrorists went on a rampage across Israel last Saturday morning, killing 1,200 people.
He said he got up as early as 7:30 a.m., hours after the massacre began, and then organized a barbecue the next day.
On Monday, a federal holiday, with Israel still reeling from the shock, the White House told reporters before noon that the president would hold no public events.
JL Partners polled 1,000 Americans from October 10-12 to gauge their views on Biden’s response to the massacre in Israel. Only a quarter said they did well
But he delivered a powerful speech on Tuesday, dripping with raw anger at the brutality of Hamas and its gunmen, and sent a US aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
Conservative polling firm JL Partners polled 1,000 Americans to gauge their reactions to Biden’s performance.
Their views were colored by the hours and days immediately following the attack.
More than half said the president was wrong not to start taking calls until 7:30 Saturday morning.
About 48 percent said it was wrong to host a White House barbecue on Sunday, although 45 percent said it didn’t matter or didn’t know if it was a good idea or not.
And 36 percent said it was wrong to treat Monday (Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day) as a holiday, compared to 16 percent who said it was right.
Officials called it a “cap” at 11:51 that day, a technical term that meant there was no prospect of the president performing public duties for the rest of the day.
James Johnson, co-founder of JLP, said: “The American verdict on Biden so far is a thumbs up.
“Only one in four say they responded well and only one in ten say they responded very well to the crisis.
Americans took a dim view of Biden’s actions in the immediate aftermath of the attack
Israel has continued an intense bombardment of Gaza since last Saturday’s unprecedented attack by Hamas terrorists, which killed more than 1,200 people
An Israeli flag flies over body bags of more than 20 dead Hamas militants with the word “terrorist” written in Hebrew, in a field in Kibbutz Be’eri, where dozens of civilians were killed
“He is being pressured from both sides – he is criticized by right-wing voters for untying oil funds, while his left-wing voters are less likely to support a pro-Israel response.
“A large swath of people remain neutral, suggesting that Biden could still turn things around, but there are certainly no signs of rallying around the president in the wake of last weekend’s terrible events.”
Republicans hammered the Biden administration all week, saying a prisoner swap deal with Iran last month that included the release of $6 billion in Iranian assets emboldened Hamas’s biggest backer.
Americans thought the release of the money was a mistake by a margin of 43 percent to 29 percent (although the cash was transferred to a Qatari bank only for humanitarian purposes and quietly frozen again later in the week.)
But by week’s end Biden was winning praise in some unlikely quarters, suggesting the tide may be turning after his speech on Tuesday.
Donald Trump’s elderly former ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman, wrote online that while he was a staunch critic of the Biden administration, “the moral, tactical, diplomatic and military support he has provided to Israel in recent days has been outstanding. .’
The terrible events in Israel still leave Biden with a conundrum. After bringing troops home from Afghanistan, the last thing he wants is to see the country embroiled in yet another intractable foreign war.
US President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, makes remarks after a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
JL Partners polled 1,000 Americans about attitudes toward Israel and Hamas. They supported a ground invasion and occupation of Gaza by a margin of two to one
Israel has maintained a steady pace of airstrikes in Gaza, home to Hamas, and is preparing for a ground invasion of the territory.
So far, 27 Americans have reportedly been killed in the Hamas attack. And several are missing, feared kidnapped by Hamas.
Americans are broadly supportive of Israel’s actions this week. Respondents support a ground invasion by a nearly two-to-one margin.
About 50 percent believe it is reasonable for the Israel Defense Forces to fully invade and occupy the territory, according to an exclusive poll for DailyMail.com, compared to 28 percent who said it would be unreasonable.
There is also overwhelming support for airstrikes on Hamas targets.
And Americans closely support the blockade of electricity, food, water and fuel. About 45 percent said it was reasonable and 36 percent said it was not.
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Only one in four Americans believe Biden responded well to the Hamas attack on Israel, after he hosted a barbecue and avoided the media for 48 hours
