President Joe Biden ran as a competent replacement for the more erratic approach of former President Donald Trump. But his botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is the latest in a number of failures, and they all trace back to the president himself.
Biden’s approval rating has finally dropped under 50% and is rapidly approaching his disapproval rating, which has now risen to 47.2% in the RealClearPolitics polling average. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Monday found Biden’s approval rating sat at 46%, a drop from a similar poll from the same outfit on Friday.
In just one weekend, Biden’s approval rating has crashed for overseeing what we have always been told is incredibly popular: U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden had been polling well on Afghanistan as recently as last month, with 55% approving his handling of the withdrawal in an ABC News/Ipsos poll.
Aside from the pandemic, where Biden’s approval rating is still over 50% (but still dropping), Biden has botched every issue he’s touched. From the southern border to his refusal to encourage local leaders from his own party to treat crime seriously, Biden can’t point to a single success during his now 7-month-old presidency. Even his only notable legislative victory, the bloated stimulus bill, has had its own negative effects on inflation and unemployment.
We were told that “America is back.” Is this what American leadership is supposed to look like? Biden has taken responsibility for nothing. He belittled Afghan soldiers after he hung them out to dry, only for Afghan soldiers to continue to assist as Americans flee the country. He went on vacation rather than answer questions about this disaster, returning only to give a short speech about how this is everyone else’s fault. Thousands of Americans are still stranded in Afghanistan, and Biden’s aides refuse to guarantee their safety.
Americans recognize that this is a failure, as polling shows. They also recognize that Biden is at fault. But it must be emphasized that this is exactly who Biden is. He has no answers for the problems the United States faces nor for the ramifications of his own failed policies and awful decision making. Biden was wrong about every major foreign policy decision for 40 years, but he is also wrong about every major presidential decision he has made since he was inaugurated.
