A majority of American voters believe President Joe Biden is a weak leader, according to a poll conducted this week amid the collapse of the Afghan government to the Taliban.
Fifty-three percent of registered voters who responded to the Economist/YouGov poll said Biden is weak, with 47 percent calling him strong. Thirty-nine percent said they believe Biden is a "very weak" leader. The poll queried 1,500 U.S. citizens from Aug. 14-17 and had a 3 percent margin of error.
The poll covered a period that saw Afghanistan fall into chaos in the aftermath of Biden's withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. On Sunday, the Taliban captured Kabul and toppled the Afghan government, returning to power for the first time in 20 years. The United States and other Western countries rushed to evacuate their citizens and personnel while thousands of Afghans swarmed the Kabul airport in an attempt to escape. Some clung to aircraft and fell to their deaths as the planes took off.
Biden is underwater in a number of other metrics measured by the poll. A 44-percent plurality of voters said they are pessimistic about the next four years under Biden. Forty-nine percent of voters said they lack confidence in the president's ability to deal wisely with an international crisis, with only 39 percent expressing confidence. Biden campaigned in 2020 on a promise to restore American "credibility and influence" on the world stage.
A Reuters poll conducted Monday showed that Biden's approval rating has dropped to its lowest level yet.