Biden Approval Rating Hits Historic Low at 43%... "Similar to Trump"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Support for U.S. President Joe Biden has fallen to its lowest level since his inauguration in January. Amid growing concerns over the resurgence of COVID-19 and the U.S. economic recovery, criticism over misjudgments and inadequate responses during the Afghanistan withdrawal has intensified, deepening President Biden's political crisis.

According to a poll conducted by public broadcasters PBS and NPR along with Marist from August 26 to 31 via landline with 1,241 adults, President Biden's approval rating dropped to 43%, marking the lowest since his inauguration. This figure is 6 percentage points lower than the July poll (49%), which was the first time his approval fell below 50%.

The most notable changes in public opinion were among independent voters and Democrats. More than half (55%) of independent voters evaluated President Biden's job performance negatively, and 13% of Democrats opposed his job performance.

The Afghanistan situation is cited as a major cause of the decline in approval ratings. Once at 50-60%, Biden’s approval rating has steadily fallen since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan last month, resulting in a 'dead cross'?a phenomenon where negative opinions surpass positive ones?for the first time since his inauguration.

Although the long-standing U.S. involvement in the Afghanistan war has ended, criticism over misjudgments during the withdrawal process and increased terrorist threats has grown, severely shaking Biden’s leadership, which emphasized security and stability.

In this survey, 71% of respondents agreed with the withdrawal from Afghanistan itself, but many perceived the chaos caused during the withdrawal process?such as the unexpected rapid takeover by the Taliban?as a policy failure for which Biden is responsible.

Criticism intensified further after a terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, on July 26, which killed 13 U.S. soldiers. The attack, claimed by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), the Afghan branch of the extremist group ISIS, resulted in approximately 100 casualties.

With the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks approaching, concerns about terrorism within the U.S. are also rising. Forty-four percent of respondents said they feel the U.S. is 'less safe' than before 9/11, 30% said 'safer,' and the remaining 26% said 'the same.'

Notably, NPR reported that "41% of American adults, including 82% of Republicans, strongly disapprove of President Biden's job performance," describing this as "similar to the unprecedented low approval and hostility faced by former President Donald Trump."

According to the U.S. polling agency Gallup, former President Trump’s average approval rating during his tenure was 41.4%, the lowest among U.S. presidents in history.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.