It is conceivable that over time, the American electorate will come to strongly oppose an impeachment inquiry into President Biden — you know, the president who’s had a job approval rating around 40 percent since autumn 2021, and a disapproval rating in the mid-50s.
But at least for now, new poll numbers from The Economist/YouGov indicate that more Americans support the move than oppose it.
When 1,500 American adults were asked, “do you approve or disapprove of the House of Representatives opening an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden?” the largest percentage, 33 percent, said they strongly approve, and another 12 percent said they somewhat approve. Thirty percent of respondents said they strongly disapprove, and another ten percent said they somewhat disapprove. So about 45 percent approve to some degree, and 40 percent disapprove to some degree. Another 15 percent said they’re not sure.
Respondents were also given options to describe the inquiry. Thirty-five percent said it was “a politically-motivated attempt to embarrass Joe Biden,” while 30 percent said it was a “serious attempt to find out what really happened.” Another 21 percent responded it was “equally motivated by both of these,” and 14 percent said they weren’t sure.
That’s not an overwhelmingly positive assessment from the American public, but at this early step in the process, there’s no sign that the move has generated any broad backlash against the public. The public may not feel particularly warm and fuzzy towards House Republicans — 32 percent strongly or somewhat approve of how Kevin McCarthy is handling his job as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 43 percent strongly or somewhat disapprove — but they’re not all that motivated to defend President Biden, either.
This mild support for the inquiry may well reflect the fact that impeachment isn’t all that rare anymore; this will be the third in four years. If Donald Trump wins another presidential term in 2024 while Democrats win back control of the House of Representatives, it seems likely we would get another in 2025. It’s also likely that many Americans see this inquiry as unlikely to have big consequences, as Democrats control the U.S. Senate and would likely be inclined to acquit Biden.
Impeachment may yet be a political albatross for House Republicans someday, but that day hasn’t arrived yet.