A comment made during a recent New York Times Opinion focus group of 14 independent voters only reinforces this notion. “I think Biden is trying his very best,” said a participant named Jim. “In these times, it’s just really hard to lead, and you know, he’s a nice guy, and sometimes you don’t need a nice guy being president. You just need someone tough.”

That’s just one man’s opinion, but the perception of Biden as wishy-washy might be causing a kind of buyer’s remorse among some voters. For instance, swing voters might view alarming issues like the rise of violent crime and inflation (both hot topics in the Times’ focus group) as a direct outgrowth of Biden’s performance and demeanor. They might conclude that, yes, Trump might have been a sonofabitch—but he was a staunch, results-driven sonofabitch.

During populist eras (like the one we are currently in), voters prize toughness over other attributes, like being even-keeled and diplomatic. Just as 2016 Republican primary voters concluded that the only way to overcome the left and the media was to fight fire with fire, a larger swath of voters might likewise conclude that Biden simply isn’t strong (or alert) enough to combat the bad guys.