The Morning: The world’s unpopular leaders

Plus, the Baltimore bridge collapse, Boeing's quality problems and Lizzo.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 28, 2024 By German Lopez Good morning. We're covering Biden and other world leaders' unpopularity — plus the Baltimore bridge collapse, Boeing's quality problems and Lizzo. President Biden with the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Doug Mills/The New York Times The four I's By many measures, President Biden is very unpopular. Since at least World War II, no president has had a worse disapproval rating at this point in his term. Relative to his international peers, however, Biden looks much better. Many leaders of developed democracies have disapproval ratings even higher than Biden's, as this chart by my colleague Ashley Wu shows: Source: Morning Consult | Data was collected from Feb. 26 to March 6, 2024. | By The New York Times Many world leaders are also up for re-election. More than 60 countries — half of the world's population — will vote or have voted this year. Most of the countries in the chart above will vote in national or European Union elections in the coming months. Why are people so upset with their leaders? Some explanations are local, but four global issues have driven much of the public's anger. Call them the four I's: inflation, immigration, inequality and incumbency. 1. Inflation The world has seen a sharp increase in prices over the past few years. As bad as inflation has been in the U.S., it has been worse in European countries more directly affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Rising prices anger voters. Your hard-earned money is worth less. "When prices rise, it feels like something is taken away from you," my colleague Jeanna Smialek, who covers the U.S. economy, has said. And people direct much of that anger toward their leaders. People also don't like the solution to inflation. To slow price increases, central banks have raised interest rates. But higher interest rates also make loans, credit card payments and mortgages more expensive. This helps explain why people are so upset even as inflation has fallen. 2. Immigration The U.S. and Europe have dealt with multiple migration and refugee crises in the past decade. Those crises have fueled anger against the more mainstream political parties that tend to be in charge in developed countries. More immigration can have advantages, particularly for growing economies and reducing inflation. But for many people, other considerations win out. They worry that immigrants use government resources, take jobs, lower wages and change their country's culture. Illegal immigration, in particular, upsets them by contributing to a broader sense of chaos and lawlessness. And they blame their leaders for it. Sometimes, they will support once-fringe, far-right candidates — as happened in the Netherlands and Italy in the last couple years. These politicians often want to shut down most, if not all, immigration. "There are a lot of people who are not right-wing themselves, but they really care about immigration," said Sonnet Frisbie, deputy head of political intelligence at the polling firm Morning Consult. "They feel like centrist and center-left parties don't represent their views." 3. Inequality Across the world, the rich have captured a growing share of income. Big companies keep getting bigger. A few individuals have amassed more wealth than entire countries. Many people now believe that the wealthiest have pulled ahead while everyone else has lagged behind (although some economists disagree). The growing sentiment has contributed to greater distrust of elites, including national leaders. People feel that those in charge have taken advantage of their power to enrich themselves and their friends. That distrust now appears in approval ratings. 4. Incumbency Incumbents typically have an electoral advantage over challengers. But that advantage can diminish over time. Voters tend to tire of national leaders the longer they're in power — what political scientists call "the cost of ruling." Consider that two-term presidents in the U.S. are rarely succeeded by a president of the same party. The cost of ruling "is a remarkably consistent pattern across countries," said Lee Drutman, a political scientist at New America, a liberal think tank. Narendra Modi, India's prime minister. Matthew Abbott for The New York Times Many current world leaders, or at least their political parties, have been in power for a while. Japan's top party has led the country for most of the last seven decades. Leaders or parties in France, Canada and Britain have ruled for seven to 14 years. In the U.S., Democrats have held the White House for 11 of the last 15 years. The trend is not universal. India's prime minister is popular after nearly a decade in office. Germany's chancellor is unpopular despite coming to power a little more than two years ago. Still, the cost of ruling applies more often than not. The bottom line Over the past several years, the world has often felt chaotic and uncertain. Many people hoped that the end of the Covid pandemic would bring normalcy. Instead, inflation spiked. Longer-term problems, such as illegal immigration and inequality, persist. National leaders have struggled to address these issues, often despite many years in power. The result is widespread disapproval of the people running the world. And many of them are now at risk of losing their jobs this year. Related: These maps show where Biden faces protest voters. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Baltimore Bridge Collapse The Francis Scott Key Bridge.  Jason Andrew for The New York Times Divers recovered the bodies of two workers from the wreckage; four others remain missing. Read more about the victims. Recordings show what happened in the moments after the ship lost power as the crew tried to avoid disaster. The bridge collapse has upset trade — and highlighted how the shipping industry is easily disrupted. These graphics show how ships have gotten bigger in the last few decades. That's dangerous for bridges. Trump Media Shares of Donald Trump's media company continues to surge. His stock is worth billions. If Trump wins the election, his social media site Truth Social could provide a route for foreign leaders or special interests to buy his favor. 2024 Election The Republican National Committee has asked job candidates whether they believe the 2020 election was stolen, a sign of Donald Trump's grip on the party. Trump called Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent running for president, a "radical Left" candidate and said it would be "a great service to America" if Kennedy took votes from Biden. Trump has spent more than $100 million on legal bills since leaving the White House, almost all of it donated. Now, those accounts are running out. More on Politics Senator Joe Lieberman in 2010. Drew Angerer for The New York Times Joe Lieberman, a former U.S. senator from Connecticut who become Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 presidential election, died at 82. Russia has gotten better at hiding its online influence campaigns, and it's using them to derail U.S. military funding for Ukraine, American officials said. After a legal setback, Disney dropped its fight against Ron DeSantis, Florida's governor, over resort development. A Democrat who campaigned on abortion and I.V.F. access flipped an Alabama State House seat in a special election. The win highlighted the continued political power of reproductive rights. A Great Lakes pipeline has become a political fight in Michigan and Wisconsin, two battleground states. International The Garrick Club in London. Leon Neal/Getty Images, via Getty Images The Guardian, a British newspaper, leaked the membership list for an elite private members' club in London. The club has received criticism for its men-only membership policy. Russia's security services missed the attack on a concert hall in part because they were focused on Ukraine, experts say. Other Big Stories Quality issues have plagued Boeing, and many employees blame the company's focus on increasing production. Read more about the problems. The M.T.A. approved a $15 toll on drivers entering the busiest parts of Manhattan. It faces lawsuits from officials in New Jersey and Staten Island. Rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young people. Daniel Kahneman, author of "Thinking, Fast and Slow," died at 90. Though he never took an economics course, he pioneered the field of behavioral economics and won a Nobel. Opinions Democrats' promises to help Puerto Ricans affected by hurricanes in the region are empty, Yarimar Bonilla writes. A.I. chatbots have become political, Zvi Mowshowitz writes. Take a quiz to see how chatbots' views compare to your own. Here are columns by Pamela Paul on puritan progressives on Meta's social media app Threads, and Thomas Edsall on Republicans' campaign strategy for the Senate. For readers of The Morning, enjoy exceptional savings for a limited time. Take advantage of the complete Times experience with our sale. Save on your first year of unlimited access to news, Games, Cooking and more. Subscribe now. MORNING READS Rhonda and Scott Burnett at home in Kansas City. Dominick Williams for The New York Times Inflated fees: A recent change has upended real estate commissions in the U.S. Meet the homeowners who made it happen. The Royal Kardashians? The frenzy over Kate, Princess of Wales, reflects a shift in public sentiment: The Windsors are now like any other celebrity family. Spring curse: Climate change is making seasonal allergies worse. Here's how to find relief. Radical honesty: An influencer couple were vulnerable about their relationship online. They were vulnerable about their breakup, too. Lives Lived: Richard Serra wanted to become a painter but instead became one of his era's greatest sculptors. His "viewer centered" sculptures had a flowing, circling geometry that often had to be walked through. He died at 85. SPORTS M.L.B.: Baseball officially begins today. The Los Angeles Dodgers had an impressive offseason. N.B.A.: Golden State's Draymond Green was ejected just four minutes into his team's win over Orlando last night, his fourth expulsion this season. Women's soccer: The San Diego Wave was recently sold for $120 million. It's a sign of American teams' skyrocketing values. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Devon Werkheiser Philip Cheung for The New York Times A second act: For years, Devon Werkheiser wanted to move past being seen as Ned, the character he played as a child on the Nickelodeon show "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide." Now, at 33, he's embracing his past on a podcast about the show with two of his former co-stars. The podcast is one of many hosted by former Disney and Nickelodeon child stars that capitalize on a nostalgic Gen Z and millennial fan base, and on the characters they have tried, with mixed success, to move beyond. More on culture Lizzo Yitty The singer Lizzo, a trailblazer of fat acceptance, spoke to The Times about her new swim line and her movement from "body positivity" to "body neutrality." A judge ordered a former curator who is accused by the British Museum of stealing hundreds of artifacts to return any items that are in his possession. Stephen Colbert joked about the drama at NBC over the firing of the former Republican National Committee chairwoman. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Johnny Miller for The New York Times Bake chewy lemon cookies. Manage adult A.D.H.D. with expert-approved books. Add these items to your wedding registry. Live a less sedentary life. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was trackpad. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — German P.S. Watch Jack Nicas, The Times's Brazil bureau chief, discuss his story about Jair Bolsonaro hiding at the Hungarian embassy on Brazilian television. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018