President Biden brushed off his lagging poll numbers during an interview Monday with a Cincinnati, Ohio, TV station, saying he did not run for the country’s top office because of the polls.

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll taken Wednesday through Friday saw Biden’s approval rating drop to a new low of 38% – just one year before the 2022 midterm elections. At least 58% of Americans also believe Biden hasn’t paid enough attention to the most important problems in the U.S., according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Kyle Inskeep of Cincinnati’s WKRC-TV asked Biden whether he needed to recalibrate some of his administration’s priorities as he approaches one year in office.

“Well, look, the poll I saw just before I walked in on another station was my polling number is down, but it’s 48% to 52%,” Biden said. “But look, the point is I didn’t run because of the polls.”

Biden contended that his previous recovery efforts, current legislation, and his Build Back Better plan would have a significant impact on ordinary Americans, “like the households I came from.”