President Biden’s job-approval rating has continued to slip amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases and the recent uproar following his administration’s handling of the U.S. military withdrawal in Afghanistan, a recent NBC News poll has shown.
The new poll, which was conducted between Aug. 14-17, showed 49 percent of Americans surveyed said they approved of Biden’s job performance as the president continues to field criticism from lawmakers over the pullout. Forty-nine percent said they disapproved.
The results mark the first time Biden has received a job-approval rating of lower than 50 percent in the agency’s polls since becoming president.
The rating is a slight dip from similar polling conducted by the news agency in April, when 53 percent said they approved of his job performance. In the past poll, Biden’s disapproval rating was much lower, with only 39 percent saying then that they disapproved of this job performance.
Polling among a smaller group of registered voters showed Biden’s job-approval rating resting at 50 percent in the new poll, a 1-point decline from April.
Forty-eight percent of registered voters in the recent poll also said they disapproved of his overall job performance, compared to 43 percent who said the same in April.
However, even with the declines in ratings, NBC News notes Biden rating remains higher than any of the ratings former President Donald Trump received in its past polling.
