President Joe Biden’s approval ratings have taken a big hit thanks to the dispiriting takeover by the Taliban in Afghanistan following the agreement to withdraw all U.S. troops from the country.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that Biden’s approval rating dove 7 points, to 46%, the lowest so far of the Biden presidency.
The plunge helped move the average approval rating of the Biden administration below 50% according to data tallied by RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight.
Republicans have seized the opportunity to attack Democrat support for the president by reminding the country that mid-term voting is just over one year away.
Joe Biden’s approval rating dropped to its lowest in his seven month presidency as the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed sending thousands in the country fleeing for their safety, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll https://t.co/Cw8kdP5DKA pic.twitter.com/wCBPEwK13H
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 18, 2021
“Democrats’ House majority is doomed and the smart members will retire to save face,” said NRCC Spokesman Mike Berg.
A recent tally of Right Track/Wrong Track polling shows that nearly 60% of voters think the country is on the wrong track under the Democrats, numbers reminiscent of the 2010 mid-term elections.
Biden has overseen a number of governing failures including a crisis on the border due to a surge in illegal immigration; rising COVID and RSV infections in the South; fears of out-of-control inflation; in addition to questions about the Afghanistan troop drawdown.
The combination of troubles has caused Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida to question whether Biden is fit for office.
“We have to confront a serious question. Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office? He’s clearly not showing up to do it, so what’s the problem here? And so I think it’s a legitimate question now,” said Scott, who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, on Monday.
Biden however has been hit hardest by critics in his own party.
“The rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan reveals a failure to prepare for a scenario where the Afghan government and military would refuse to fight the Taliban’s advances when put to the test,” said Democrat Senator Mark Kelly (Ariz.) just hours after Biden spoke to the nation to defend his Afghanistan policy, according to the Washington Post.
