Poll: Majority of Voters Say Joe Biden Should Resign over Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal

TOPSHOT - Taliban fighters stand guard at an entrance gate outside the Interior Ministry i
Javed Tanveer/AFP via Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images

A majority of voters believe President Biden should resign over his administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Wednesday found.

The survey asked respondents, “Should President Joe Biden resign because of the way the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled?”

Overall, a majority, or 52 percent, said “yes,” Biden should resign, while 39 percent said he should not. Opinions over Biden resigning are sharply divided along party lines, as three-quarters of Republicans say he should — a sentiment held by nearly one-third of Democrats, 32 percent, and a plurality of independents, 48 percent.

Sixty percent of Democrats, however, say Biden should not resign.

Respondents were also asked to indicate if they agreed with the following statement: “I think Joe Biden deserves to be  impeached because he’s abandoned thousands of Afghans who fought with us and  he’s going to abandon some American citizens because he capitulated to the Taliban to a 31 August deadline.”

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, Marines assist with security at an evacuation control checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, Marines assist with security at an evacuation control checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Sixty percent said they at least “somewhat agree,” but of those, 46 percent “strongly” agree with that statement. Thirty-seven percent said they at least “somewhat” disagree. Of those, 29 percent “strongly” disagree that Biden should be impeached.

However, even if one of those scenarios — resignation or impeachment and removal— came to fruition, voters are not confident in Vice President Kamala Harris’s ability to assume office. Forty-seven percent said she is “not at all qualified” to do so, and 11 percent said she is “not very qualified.” Only 38 percent indicated some confidence in her ability to assume the duties of being president.

The survey, taken August 30-31, among 1,000 U.S. likely voters, has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

The poor numbers for Biden follow his administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. It took a turn for the worst after Biden agreed to adhere to the Taliban-approved August 31 deadline and a terrorist attack struck the Kabul airport, where U.S. evacuation efforts were underway. It resulted in over 100 casualties, including the loss of 13 U.S. servicemembers.

In an address to the nation on Tuesday, Biden admitted his administration left Americans behind, in enemy territory.

“Now we believe that about 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan with some intention to leave. Most of those that remain are dual citizens, longtime residents who had earlier decided to stay because of their family roots in Afghanistan,” he claimed.

“The bottom line: Ninety percent of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave. And for those remaining Americans, there is no deadline. We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out,” Biden added.

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The survey coincides with Rasmussen Reports’ Daily Presidential Tracking Poll recording a historical low on Wednesday, showing Biden’s approval falling to 42 percent.

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