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Evening Report — Biden bids farewell as job approval craters
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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Evening Report newsletter Subscribe *{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img div{display:none}sub,sup{font-size:75%;line-height:0} @media (max-width:620px){.social_block.desktop_hide .social-table{display:inline-block!important}.image_block div.fullWidth{max-width:100%!important}.mobile_hide,.row .side{display:none}.row-content{width:100%!important}.stack .column{width:100%;display:block}.mobile_hide{min-height:0;max-height:0;max-width:0;overflow:hidden;font-size:0}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{display:table!important;max-height:none!important}} ✌🏼Plus: Trump, Biden tussle over Gaza ceasefire credit{beacon} @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { #thehillheader { background-color: #2a53c1 !important; color: white !important; } }Evening Report
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Biden set to give final Oval Office address
PRESIDENT BIDEN will give his fifth and final Oval Office address this evening, as he prepares to leave the White House at a time when his public approval rating is around the lowest of his presidency.
Biden penned a letter Wednesday highlighting his accomplishments, saying he’s leaving behind a strong economy, lower inflation, new infrastructure projects and lower prescription drug prices.
“I hope you’ll do your part to build on the progress we’ve made,” Biden wrote.
But Biden is leaving on the heels of a calamitous final year in office that saw his party suffer sweeping defeats at the ballot box.
Biden dropped his reelection bid after a disastrous debate performance exacerbated concerns about his age. The news media has been increasingly emboldened to report on how Biden’s staff shielded him from scrutiny.
And the president gave his son Hunter Biden a controversial and sweeping pardon, despite repeatedly promising he would not.
The damage can be seen in the numbers:
A CNN poll released Wednesday found Biden matching his all-time low, with only 36 percent approving and 64 percent disapproving. Those numbers are comparable to where President-elect Trump sat after the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.
Biden’s approval rating sits at an all-time low in the 538 average, nearly 19 points underwater.
Trump, meanwhile, has seen a reversal in fortunes as he prepares to be sworn into office for a second term.
The president-elect’s approval rating has approached the break-even point for the first time since he burst onto the political scene in 2015, according to the 538 average.
TRUMP, BIDEN BATTLE OVER CREDIT FOR GAZA PEACE DEAL
Trump on Wednesday was the first to announce a ceasefire in Gaza, which the Biden administration had been working to achieve for more than a year.
The fighting will stop, and Hamas will release 33 hostages as part of the deal, which is expected to be finalized tonight — 5 days before Trump takes office.
Via The Hill’s Laura Kelly:
“Trump had warned of ‘all hell’ breaking loose in the Middle East if Hamas did not release hostages before he is sworn into office Jan. 20, and his special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, worked closely with Biden’s negotiators to reach a conclusion of the deal.”
Trump is taking credit for the deal, which had eluded Biden’s negotiators for months.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Biden was asked by a reporter Wednesday if Trump should get credit.
"Is that a joke?" Biden responded.
In earlier remarks, Biden said: “This deal was developed and negotiated under my administration but its terms will be implemented, for the most part, by the next administration. For these past few days, we’ve been speaking as one team.”
The Washington Post reports: “A diplomat briefed on the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas credited progress in the talks in part to the influence of President-elect-Donald Trump, saying it was ‘the first there has been any real pressure on the Israeli side to accept a deal’.”
The Wall Street Journal quotes Dennis Ross, a senior official on Middle East issues for both Republican and Democratic........
© The Hill
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