Kamala Harris' Popularity Takes a Hit Post Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal

Kamala Harris' popularity started declining in June, only 29% say she is 'very qualified' to be the president.

US Vice President Kamala Harris' popularity among voters is declining. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/KamalaHarris)

Amid the speculation of United States (US) President Joe Biden being replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris after the US troops were pulled out from Afghanistan and the situation thereafter, Harris' voter approval has also declined.

While most polls show the Americans' disapproval of Biden's handling of Afghanistan, not many stand behind Harris either.

According to a telephone and online study by Rasmussen Reports, 43% of the US voters believe that Harris is qualified to assume duties of the presidency, out of which only 29% chose the option 'very qualified'. The figure of 43% is much lower than the 49% in April 2021.

Out of 55% of the votes for Harris not being qualified to be president, 47% said she is 'not at all qualified'.

Harris' Declining Popularity

The Rasmussen Reports survey was conducted on 12 and 15 August, during the time when the events in Afghanistan were unfolding rapidly, and many blame the US withdrawal as a cause for the worsening situation in the Asian country.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan scheduled for September this year was accelerated and the final troops left the country on 15 August, the day Kabul fell.

However other reasons for Harris' dropping rating include her crass statement when she visited Mexico and Guatemala with regards to the migrant influx. This claim is supported by the observation that her popularity started decreasing in June, the month of her visit and the widespread criticism of her speech.

On the one hand, Harris by virtue of being the first woman, first African American and first Indian American vice president enjoys support of women, African Americans and Indian American communities, on the other, these communities are no less critical of her shortcomings.

While India reeled with the harsh second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, many questioned her efforts for her mother's home country.

Although Harris is more popular than her predecessor, she has been subject to a lot of online trolling – both sexual and racist trolls have targeted the vice president since she took office.

Now that Afghanistan has come under the Taliban control and the US, like most countries, is trying to get people out, Harris is on her second foreign trip. She started her official visit on Sunday, 22 August, and is supposed to meet with top officials in Singapore and Vietnam. Her trip is being anticipated as one to bolster the US standing in the Asian continent amid tensions with China and the Afghan crisis.