Worse, Mr. Biden’s gaffes appear to have hurt his image as a strong leader—something important to U.S. standing abroad and critical to any president’s effectiveness moving his agenda at home. In October 2020, shortly before his election, a Fox News poll found 49% of voters said Mr. Biden was a strong leader, while 45% said he wasn’t. This was hardly a great start as president. It’s gotten worse: A Fox News poll that came out Feb. 22, 2022, found that only 36% now see the president as a strong leader while 61% don’t. Mr. Biden’s standing as a leader has dropped 13 points among suburbanites, who were a big part of swinging the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential election in the Democrats’ favor. His image as a strong leader has also dropped 13 points among white men, 14 points among rural voters, and 15 points among whites with no college degree and among moderates—whose support could provide critical to GOP gains this fall and Democratic losses, especially to the latter’s dwindling ranks of congressional moderates.

The president’s verbal miscues have also likely affected answers to the Fox News poll’s question of whether he “has the mental soundness to serve effectively as president.” In September 2020, 49% answered yes while 45% said “no.” Not so great. It’s gotten worse: The Feb. 22 Fox News poll found that only 44% think he has the necessary mental soundness while 53% believe he doesn’t.

Going forward, if Mr. Biden manages to act competent and presidential—say he backs a successful resolution to the Ukraine war and passes a major piece of domestic legislation—his approval ratings still may not change much. It’s difficult to move numbers in a good direction once a president is viewed as weak and ineffective.