Poll: Biden Loses Independents on Afghanistan—Approval Drops to 43 Percent

President Joe Biden’s job approval number dropped to a new low after he lost the majority of independent voters over the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that turned deadly, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

Only 43 percent of the respondents gave Biden an approval rating, with the majority (51 percent) saying they disapprove of the job he is doing as president. This is compared to the same poll from August that found the president with a 49 percent approval.

The major blow to the president’s approval appears to be from those who identify as independents. Only 36 percent of  Independents approve of Biden, which is down ten percent from the last poll.

His approval from Democrats only dropped five percent, from 90 percent to 85 percent, and Republicans only dropped one percent, from six percent to five percent.

“That a majority of independents now disapprove of his performance is bad news for Biden and Democrats. They’re a key swing group, one Biden won in 2020 but who now think he’s off track,” NPR wrote.

The poll points out a major divide along party lines: 94 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of independents disapprove of Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, while only a small percentage of Democrats (26 percent) say the same.

Overall, 71 percent said the United States’s role in Afghanistan was a “failure.”

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll questioned 1,241 adults 18 years of age and older that live in the United States. The poll was taken towards the end of the withdrawal from Afghanistan between August 26 and 31.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Follow Jacob Bliss on Twitter @jacobmbliss.