Welcome to the dispatch podcast. I'm your host Sarah Isger joined by Steve Hayes, Jonah

Goldberg and our special guest this week, Chris Steyerwalt. We are going to talk about

the Biden administration, former president Trump going to Iowa, the latest in Afghanistan,

and our reflections on September 11th, 20 years later.

Let's dive right in. Jonah, how's the Biden administration doing?

Not great, Bob. You know, look, I mean, lots of presidents have bad summers. Lots of

presidents in their first year of their first term have bad summers. Summers are bad in Washington.

It's a fact you can look it up. It's in the Bible. But it does seem to me that this has

been particularly bad. And his poll numbers is approval is is now, I thought, has disapproved

of somewhere around 50% at this point. He's particularly suffering among moderates and

independence. And so I guess the question I have for the group rather than me is state

the facts that we already know is, is this merely summer doldrums and he'll recover

or the best days behind him. And what does that mean going into 2022? Never mind the

fall into 2024. And since brother Starwalt is with us, I will give him first shot. So

when you talk about approval, disapproval numbers, the delta is what counts. I use the

538 average just because it's the easiest thing to do. And as of this recording, the president

has a 51.5% approval, 43% disapprove. And the numbers, I'm sorry, other way around 49.1%

disapproval, 45% approve. So that puts him four points underwater. The bad news for

Biden is that it is a sustained slide. It hasn't been a spike. It's been really since

June, May or June. Most of it is attached to coronavirus. Most of it is attached to

frustrate people in every poll that you look for what's the cause. The leading the charge

is coronavirus and frustration. Understandable frustrations from Americans who in the, at

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