Joe Biden Approval Matches Historical Low After Taliban Seize Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 10: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event on Senate pass
Alex Wong/Getty
Hannah Knudsen

President Joe Biden’s job approval dipped on Monday and is currently underwater, matching his all-time low days following the Taliban’s takeover of the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

The takeover has forced the 78-year-old to cut his vacation at Camp David short as U.S. allies fume over Biden’s failure to defend the country from terrorists.

According to data from Rasmussen Reports, Biden’s approval fell to 46 percent on Monday — three points down from 49 percent one week ago, on August 9. Of those, 26 percent “strongly” approve. Fifty-three percent disapprove of his performance, and of those, the vast majority, 43 percent, “strongly” disapprove.

Monday’s rating matches Rasmussen’s all-time low of 46 percent, which occurred on July 28:

Monday’s approval rating follows the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, which forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country Sunday as allies continue to question Biden’s stunning absence.

“People are bewildered that after two decades of this big, high-tech power intervening, they are withdrawing and effectively handing the country back to the people we went in to defeat,” Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defense Committee in the British Parliament, said.

“This is the irony. How can you say America is back when we’re being defeated by an insurgency armed with no more than [rocket-propelled grenades], land mines and AK-47s?” he asked.

Biden opted to go on an extended vacation at Camp David on Friday, despite news of Afghanistan quickly losing territory to the Taliban. Upon his departure, he refused to answer any questions from reports about the crumbling situation in the country.

U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and First Lady Jill Biden (C) board Marine One at Delaware Air National Guard in New Castle, Delaware, on August 13, 2021, as they travel to holiday at Camp David, Maryland. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, Biden told reporters he did not regret his plan to withdraw U.S. troops in Afghanistan amid reports of cities falling to the jihadist organization.

“Look, we spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together. We lost thousands — lost to death and injury — thousands of American personnel,” Biden said, adding, “They’ve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation.”

While Biden was expected to stay at the presidential retreat until Wednesday, August 18, he is returning to the White House on Monday and is expected to deliver remarks on the crisis at 3:45 p.m. Eastern.

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