SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts Most Approved Federal Leader, Only Leader With Bipartisan Support

A new poll found that Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts is the most approved leader of a branch of the federal government, and the only federal government leader with bipartisan support, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

The poll found that 60% of U.S. adults approve of the job Roberts is doing, while just 34% disapprove. Two other government leaders with positive net approval ratings were Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Powell received a 53% approval rating with a 40% disapproval. Fauci received a 52% approval rating, with 47% disapproval.

Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had the highest approval rating of Congressional leaders, with 46% approval, but was still underwater in terms of net rating, with 49% disapproval. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had 44% approval, compared with 53% disapproval. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received a paltry 40% approval rating, with 58% disapproval. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had the least approval rating of the group, and the lowest approval rating overall, with just 34% approval and 63% disapproval.

The White House did not fare much better. President Joe Biden’s approval rating was just 43%, with 51% disapproval, while Vice President Kamala Harris received a 44% approval rating and a 54% disapproval rating. Gallup reported that Harris has seen a 5-point drop in approval since September, from 49% to 44% and an equivalent increase in disapproval, from 49% to 54%. Biden’s approval rating has remained at 43% in that time frame, Gallup noted.

Roberts was also the only one of the leaders cited in the poll who received support from all sides of the aisle. Gallup reported:

Roberts is the only one of the leaders rated this year who receives majority approval from Republicans (57%) and Democrats (55%) in addition to political independents (64%). Most of the other leaders are viewed positively by two-thirds or more of one party versus less than a quarter of the other.

A key exception is McConnell, whose performance is approved of by less than half of Republicans (46%). At the same time, he receives the lowest ratings of the 11 from Democrats (21%) and independents (35%). Strikingly, majorities of all three groups disapprove of McConnell: 75% of Democrats, 64% of independents and 52% of Republicans.

The Senate Republican leader’s counterpart in the House of Representatives, McCarthy, sparks a more typical partisan reaction, with 71% of Republicans, 48% of independents and 23% of Democrats approving of his performance.

Gallup stated that the reason for the discrepancy between McCarthy and McConnell was McCarthy’s still-warm relationship with former President Trump, compared with McConnell’s much more tenuous relationship with Trump. Every other leader in the poll was viewed more favorably by Democrats than Republicans. Fauci’s approval was especially partisan, with 85% approval from Democrats, but just 19% of Republicans. Gallup cites Fauci’s clashes with conservatives in Congress and the media as the reason for his politicized image.

President Joe Biden’s approval ratings have continued to crater as the first year of his presidency draws to a close. The Daily Wire previously reported that Biden’s approval sits at just 37%, with less than 30% approval in 17 states. Biden is also increasingly unpopular in 2024 election polls, with a recent poll finding Biden has just 22% favorability in a hypothetical 2024 Democratic primary.

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