Biden’s approval rating has cratered to just 36% among independents in the aftermath of his disastrous handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, according to a new NPR/PBS/Marist poll released Thursday.
That number is down six points from the same survey conducted five weeks ago. The current polls also mark the lowest numbers for Biden since taking office.
The Aug. 26-31 poll of more than 1,200 adults found Biden’s overall approval is 43%, with 51% disapproving, a massive net swing of 13 points since late July, when the same poll found 49% of Americans approved of the job he was doing, and only 44% opposed.
But it’s among independents where Biden has lost significant ground, with 55% now disapproving. Specifically, more than seven in 10 independents disapprove of the president’s chaotic evacuation, with more than 60% of all Americans disapproving of the crisis. A majority of respondents also express negative views on Biden’s handling of foreign policy in general.
“That a majority of independents now disapprove of his performance is bad news for Biden and Democrats,” Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent, wrote. “They’re a key swing group, one Biden won in 2020 but who now think he’s off track.”
Other polls paint a rosier picture for the president, but those oversampled Democrats.
Related: Timeline: Why Biden’s Call With Ghani Matters
With much of America divided into partisan camps, large swings in presidential approval ratings are rare, especially on foreign policy, making the new numbers for Biden rather eye-opening.
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