
President Joe Biden's approval rating has fallen below 50% for the first time in his presidency, according to two separate polls.
Overall approval averages measured by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics show Biden fell below the halfway mark on Monday after the president's speech regarding the fallout from the Taliban's takeover of the Afghan government.
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FiveThirtyEight noted Biden's rating hit 49.9% on Monday before continuing to fall to 49.3% on Wednesday.
RealClearPolitics, which uses different polling methods, showed approval dropped to 49.4% Tuesday before a slight pickup Wednesday landed at 49.6%.
Since taking over as commander-in-chief, President Biden's approval has fluctuated above 50% to just under 56%.
Former President Donald Trump averaged an approval rating of 40-45% all four years, while former President Barack Obama stayed in the 45-50% range.
Though watchdogs have praised Biden's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, his approval has wavered as the delta variant spreads rapidly and masks mandates return.
The biggest hit, however, remains the conflict in Afghanistan. Even some Democrats said while they support the overall mission, its execution was flawed.