One year after a miserably mishandled withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, Axios reported it is that event which began President Joe Biden's descent in approval ratings from which he has yet to recover.
As the Taliban moved swiftly Aug. 15, 2021 into the capital city of Kabul, taking control of the country in literally a weekend after U.S. forces pulled out, Biden was sitting on a 49% approval rating, according to Gallup. He was just seven months into his presidency.
One month later, his approval had fallen to 43%, and today it is 38%.
Though the experts agree the economy is what typically drives presidential approval numbers — not foreign policy — Mohamed Younis, editor-in-chief of Gallup News, told Axios there is no denying America's exit from Afghanistan did hurt Biden's perception with the public in lasting way.
"The presidential approval rating definitely dipped after Afghanistan, and it's hard to argue that it had no impact," Younis told Axios. But, he added, "It's hard to solidly conclude everything fell apart because of Afghanistan."
Biden's approvals eventually hit record lows in multiple polls, aided by the traditional factors, including the economy, and have bounced back to some degree.
But the initial hit came from the Afghanistan withdrawal, which also hurt the United States in the eyes of our allies, Axios reported, because of what they saw as unpreparedness and an uncoordinated response.
"It was a shock and it will remain a shock," one diplomat from a close U.S. ally told Axios. "There was also kind of brutality in leaving that way, and in the fall."
As late as July 8, Biden had said the Taliban was not likely to take over after the U.S. withdrawal: "No, it is not [possible]. Because you have the Afghan troops have 300,000 well equipped, as well as any army in the world, and an Air Force against 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable."
Security experts predicted it would take weeks or months for a Taliban takeover, but with desperate Afghanis struggling to get into Kabul airport to board U.S. military flights out during the final days, the Biden White House assured the public the Afghan government would not fall in a "weekend."
After seeing media images of Afghans handing babies to U.S. military members guarding the airport walls, crowded flights of those who did make it out, many without proper screening, and others clinging to the wings of planes falling to their deaths as the flights took off, Biden's and America's images immediately toppled.
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