Biden approval rating slips to 42 percent in new poll

Half of American adults in a new poll disapprove of President Biden, marking the first time his approval has dipped into “negative territory” since taking office. 

A Quinnipiac University poll of American adults released today showed 42 percent of participants approved of Biden’s overall performance, while 50 percent disapproved.

Biden’s numbers on COVID-19 were mixed, with 48 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving of his handling of the response to the pandemic as he imposes wide-reaching vaccine mandates.

Meanwhile, Biden’s performance ratings on foreign policy dropped significantly following his withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Only 34 percent of respondents approved of Biden on foreign policy, while 59 percent disapproved. That’s compared with 44 percent approval and 44 percent disapproval in August. 

More than 6 in 10 adults think American troops will have to return to Afghanistan, the poll said. However, 7 in 10 Americans believe pulling troops out of Afghanistan was the right thing to do. 

While Biden’s ratings regarding climate change were evenly split (42 percent approval and 44 percent disapproval), he received negative ratings on his handling of the economy (42 percent approval and 52 percent disapproval). 

The Quinnipiac University pollsters surveyed 1,210 U.S. adults between Sept. 10 and Sept. 13. The poll has a 2.8 percentage point margin of error.