Olympus has fallen? Biden's approval dives below 50% as coronavirus and inflation surge

President Joe Biden's job approval numbers have fallen beneath the 50% threshold for the first time since he took office in January, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average .

According to the average, which incorporates polls conducted by YouGov, Rasmussen, Politico, The Hill, Reuters, Quinnipiac, and more, Biden is currently saddled with a 49.7% approval figure and a 45.5% disapproval figure. 

In the last three decades or so of presidential politics, there is ample precedent for a new president's approval ratings to take a sharp dip the summer after their arrival in office. The distinction with President Biden is that his approval numbers started lower than those of most recent presidents, giving him significantly less cushion before falling below the 50% mark. 

Breaking the figure into some specific categories, according to RCP, fewer than 50% of Americans approve of Biden's handling of the economy (49.4% approve, a slightly lower figure than those who approve of the president's overall performance). 

The ongoing border crisis that the White House has time and again failed to substantively address, puts the president's approval number on immigration at at a paltry 42.2%. But 56.5% of those polled approve of Biden's handling of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

A figure, however, that overwhelmingly works against the favor of the president is that just 37.7% of Americans currently believe the country is headed in the "right direction."