CBS Poll: Majority of Americans No Longer Believe Biden Is Competent, Admit Botched Afganistan Withdrawal

President Joe Biden speaks during an event on clean cars and trucks, on the South Lawn of
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Jacob Bliss

The majority of Americans no longer believe President Joe Biden is competent in his role as the Commander-in-Chief, according to a CBS News poll.

Fifty-one percent of the respondents said Biden is not competent in his position as president. This is compared to only 49 percent who said he is.

Additionally, the poll found that 52 percent of the respondents did not feel the president has been focused.

The poll was taken during and after the fall of the now-Taliban-controlled Kabul, Afghanistan, when Biden botched the U.S. troops’ withdrawal from the country.

Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Zabi Karimi)

With that, 53 percent of the respondents said they disagree with the way Biden withdrew the troops. Seventy percent said the removal of troops could have been handled better, along with 55 percent who said some troops should have stayed.

The poll from CBS also found that Biden’s overall job approval rating is at 50 percent. However, this is compared to an NBC News poll taken around the same time frame and released the same day that Biden’s job approval is less than 50 percent.

In this photo released by The White House, President Joe Biden meets virtually with his national security team and senior officials for a briefing on Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, at Camp David, Md. (The White House via AP)

In this photo released by The White House, President Joe Biden meets virtually with his national security team and senior officials for a briefing on Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, at Camp David, Md. (The White House via AP)

The CBS News/YouGov poll was conducted between August 18 and 20 and was conducted with 2,142 U.S. adult residents. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. The poll is also weighted based on the census, based on gender, age, race, and education.

Biden was confronted about the poll during a press conference, and Biden claimed he had not yet seen the poll.

After Biden’s response claiming to have not seen the poll, a CBS reporter instructed the White House to “please share” the poll with the president.

Another recent poll showed Biden’s rolling job approval average in 37 states is underwater. Only 12 states show a positive approval of Biden, and one state, Colorado, polled at an even tie with 46 percent.

Reports show thousands of Americans are trapped in Afghanistan while most struggle to get to the airport in Kabul for evacuation. Some reports also claim the Taliban has been seizing U.S. passports from Afghan Americans trying to enter the Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee the country.

Follow Jacob Bliss on Twitter @jacobmbliss.

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