On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that the White House has to be concerned that President Joe Biden is facing fairly close 2024 presidential election polling and an approval rating below 50% despite “improving inflation,” “a lot of good domestic policy achievements,” and Republicans taking “some pretty extreme ground on a lot of issues” and that Biden’s less than desirable polling numbers might be because “we’re just in an extremely partisan, divided country, an extremely cynical country,” and therefore no national leader can possibly have high approval ratings.

Brooks said, “I think what has to concern the White House a little is, they’ve had improving inflation, a lot of good domestic policy achievements, Republicans have staked out some pretty extreme ground on a lot of issues, and if you look at the polls, it’s still reasonably close. His approvals are still in the 46s. And it could be that we’re just in an extremely partisan, divided country, an extremely cynical country, where, on the national level, nobody — and this is global — no national leader gets popular anymore. No national leader gets to 55, because there’s so much cynicism across the Western world.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett