His overall job rating among adults stands at 43 percent approve and 54 percent disapprove — unchanged in essence from October’s survey. (Among registered voters, it is 44 percent approve, 54 percent disapprove.)

But it’s the numbers beneath Biden’s approval rating that paint a grim picture for the White House, say the bipartisan team of pollsters who conduct the NBC News survey.

Biden’s standing among key parts of the Democratic base has eroded while just 15 percent of Americans strongly approve of his job performance, compared to 43 percent who strongly disapprove, and only 5 percent believe his presidency has been better than expected.

“This poll would have to be described as bleak, discouraging and truly terrible,” said Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.