White House official claims Biden's Russia response 'unified' US, citing poll showing 41% approval

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Jen Psaki says Russian energy sanctions are not 'off the table' as invasion into Ukraine continues

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the Biden administration's response to the crisis in Ukraine and preview the president's first State of the Union Address.

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates announced Tuesday that President Biden had "unified" the country with his response to Russian aggression in the Ukraine, but cited a poll showing that Biden's approval rating remains well underwater. 

Bates cited a CBS Poll shared on social media, highlighting data showing that the topic most anticipated from the State of the Union address is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"The latest data showing [President Biden] has unified the country with his response to Russia's heinous attack on Ukraine and democratic values," Bates boasted on social media.

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Commenters were quick to point out that while the poll showed that Americans were broadly on the same page about how to respond to Russia, it also showed that Americans didn't approve of the job Biden is doing. 

In the same poll, CBS found that only 41% of respondents approved of the president's response to the invasion thus far. This was coupled with data from respondents for other issues such as immigration and inflation – all below 40% approval.

"If anything, support for economic sanctions but broad disapproval for Biden handling suggests people think he shouldn’t have wasted days on weak sanctions while Europe took the lead," Republican operative Matt Whitlock wrote on Twitter. 

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A Fox News survey released last week found that Americans think Biden has lacked toughness in his response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

The survey found that 56% of registered voters say Biden has not been tough enough on Russia. Few respondents (8%) said he's been too tough on Russia, while just 29% said his handling was about right.

Fox News' Dana Blanton contributed reporting