CNN’s editor-at-large declared Joe Biden’s “presidential honeymoon” to be over, saying the Democrat “is having the worst week of his presidency.”
With the surge of the delta variant of the coronavirus, Biden faces an average of 85,000 cases of COVID-19 a day in the United States, CNN’s Chris Cillizza noted Tuesday.
The White House also announced on Monday that 70 percent of eligible adults are at least partly vaccinated — a month later than Biden’s July 4 deadline, according to The New York Times.
The Biden administration has faced criticism over the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that vaccination individuals should wear masks — a sharp contrast from what the president was saying less than three months ago.
Folks, if you’re fully vaccinated — you no longer need to wear a mask.
If you’re not vaccinated yet — go to https://t.co/4MYpWqXVVo to find a shot, and mask up until you’re fully vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/qcyG2WyCG2
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 13, 2021
“Everything — and I mean EVERYTHING — flows from the Covid news,” Cillizza wrote.
“And the truth is that Biden’s ability to change the current story on COVID-19 in this country is decidedly limited.”
Reminder: In October 2020, Joe Biden promised Americans that he would "Shut down the virus, not the country."
Fast forward 10 months & he's now instituting new mandates & considering more lockdowns.
Dems just can't quit the power that comes with authoritarian covid fear porn. pic.twitter.com/sAKLPtrRcx
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) July 31, 2021
The coronavirus pandemic is not the only issue faced by the Biden administration. The border crisis is also taking a toll.
The number of unaccompanied minors apprehended at the nation’s southern border hit an all-time high in July, The Associated Press reported.
Authorities picked up more than 19,000 unaccompanied migrant children, a sharp increase from June’s total of 15,253.
“The sharp increases from June were striking because crossings usually slow during stifling — and sometimes fatal — summer heat,” the AP wrote.
Biden also has been at odds with House Democrats as the CDC’s moratorium on evictions expired on Sunday, according to CNN.
Cillizza said that a “blame game has broken out” as millions of Americans have to pay rent and back rent, with Democrats in Congress pointing at the White House.
“Action is needed, and it must come from the Administration,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Majority Whip James Clyburn and Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark wrote in a joint statement Sunday calling for Biden to extend the moratorium.
“As the CDC doubles down on mask-wearing and vaccination efforts, science and reason demand that they must also extend the moratorium in light of the delta variant. Doing so is a moral imperative to keep people from being put out on the street which also contributes to the public health emergency.”
Biden had a 51.6 percent approval rating Tuesday, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.
This is a slight decrease from the 55.8 percent approval rating he enjoyed in the first days of his presidency.
“What does the future — or, at least, the next few weeks — hold for Biden? The honest answer is no one knows,” Cillizza wrote.
