A majority of U.S. voters say President Joe Biden is doing a “poor” job handling the crisis in Afghanistan, and they believe Americans will be left behind after the August 31 deadline, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday found.
The survey asked respondents, “How would you rate the Biden administration’s handling of the current situation in Afghanistan?”
A majority, 52 percent, rated Biden’s handling “poor,” followed by 21 percent who said “good,” 14 percent who said “fair,” 11 percent who said “excellent,” and 1 percent who remain unsure.
Per Rasmussen:
Politics strongly influences views of how Biden is handling Afghanistan. Fifty-three percent (53%) of Democratic voters rate the administration’s handling of the current situation in Afghanistan as good or excellent, but only 16% of Republicans and 24% of voters not affiliated with either major party share that view. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of GOP voters rate the Biden’s administration’s handling of Afghanistan poor, an opinion shared by 24% of Democrats and 57% of unaffiliated voters.
Half believe that Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. military forces by the Taliban-approved August 31 deadline is a “bad decision.” Just over one-third, 34 percent, described it as a “good decision.”
Taliban Fateh fighters, a “special forces” unit, patrol a street in Kabul on August 29, 2021, as suicide bomb threats hung over the final phase of the US military’s airlift operation from Kabul, with President Joe Biden warning another attack was highly likely before the evacuations end. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)
Stunningly, only eight percent believe that no Americans will be left behind after the U.S. military withdrawal is completed. A plurality, or 36 percent, believe that “more than 500” Americans will be left behind, while 15 percent believe it will be between 100 and 500. According to the survey, 11 percent predict 50 to 100 Americans will be left behind, and another 11 percent say it will be less than 50. About one-fifth of voters remain unsure:
Fifty-three percent (53%) of Republicans believe more than 500 American civilians will be left behind in Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrawal, a view shared by 20% of Democrats and 36% of unaffiliated voters. Forty-three percent (43%) of Democrats think fewer than 100 American civilians will be stranded in Afghanistan after the withdrawal, an opinion shared by 13% of both Republicans and unaffiliated voters.
The survey, taken August 26 and 29, 2021, among 1,000 likely U.S. voters, has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
Afghans gather on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul on August 20, 2021, hoping to flee from the country after the Taliban’s military takeover of Afghanistan. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)
Last week, Biden essentially admitted that Americans will be left behind in the Taliban-controlled country, defining the mission as getting “as many people out as we can within the time frame that’s allotted,” rather than going until every American is evacuated.
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