WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is calling the violent chaos at Kabul’s airport “gut-wrenching,” but he’s standing by America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Biden spoke from the White House on Monday in his first in-person remarks since the Taliban over the weekend rolled over an Afghan military and government that American forces had spent two decades building.
Despite it all, Biden said he stands squarely behind his decision to end the United States’ longest war. He faulted leaders of the Afghan government and military for its swift collapse, saying he had warned President Ashraf Ghani to prepare to fight a civil war with the Taliban after American troops left.
A new poll released by The Trafalgar Group in partnership with the Convention of States Action shows that most Americans disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the exit from Afghanistan.
The poll was conducted from Aug. 14 to Aug. 15 and was based on the following:
• 1084 Respondents
• Likely General Election Voters
• Confidence: 95%
The question on the poll read, “What best describes how you feel about how President Biden is handling US military operations in Afghanistan?”
The responses followed:
- Strongly Disapprove: 59.5%
- Disapprove: 9.8%
- Approve: 12.4%
- Strongly Approve: 10.7%
- No Opinion: 7.5%
