A plurality of U.S. voters blame President Joe Biden for the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, a Morning Consult survey released Thursday found.
The survey asked voters to identify whom they view as responsible for the situation in Afghanistan, which became more chaotic following the Taliban takeover of Kabul over the weekend.
A plurality, or 43 percent, of all voters blame Biden for the situation from a domestic standpoint. A majority of Republicans, 64 percent, agree with that, as do 40 percent of independents and 28 percent of Democrats.
Across the board, 27 percent blame former President George W. Bush, 27 percent blame Congress, 25 percent blame former President Donald Trump, 24 percent blame former President Barack Obama, and 10 percent blame U.S. citizens. Notably, a plurality of Democrats, 38 percent, blame Trump.
The survey, taken August 16-19 among 1,999 registered voters, has a margin of error of +/- 2 percent.
The survey also asked voters whom they blame for the crumbling situation but on a global basis. A majority, 65 percent, said the Taliban, followed by the Afghan government (59 percent), Afghan military (54 percent), the United States (34 percent), United Nations (22 percent), and European Union (14 percent).
Abdullah Abdullah (C), Chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, speaks the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha on September 12, 2020. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (R, bottom) speaks during the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha on September 12, 2020. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite a plurality blaming Biden for the chaos in the country, independents have boosted support for his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, jumping from 49 percent to 53 percent over the last week.
Per the survey:
The latest survey found that the share of voters who approve of the troop withdrawal has risen 4 percentage points, to 53 percent, since the Aug. 13-16 poll, driven largely by independent voters who moved from the sidelines on the question. Over the course of a few days, the share of independent voters who approve of Biden’s decision increased 11 points, to 52 percent, while partisan support went largely unchanged.
The survey comes as the Biden administration struggles to answer how many Americans are stranded in the country.
Afghan people wait to board a U S military aircraft to leave Afghanistan, at the military airport in Kabul on August 19, 2021 after Taliban’s military takeover of Afghanistan. (Photo by Shakib RAHMANI / AFP) (Photo by SHAKIB RAHMANI/AFP via Getty Images)
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