Biden approval rating on COVID-19 down 10 points since late June: poll

President Biden’s approval rating for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic has dropped by 10 points since late June as the delta variant raises concerns and drives up cases nationwide.

In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 52 percent of respondents said they approve of the way Biden is handling the pandemic, which is down from the 62 percent of adults who gave him positive marks in late June.

The drop comes as the delta variant, which is more contagious than previous versions of COVID-19, is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. and is now the dominant strain in the country.

Biden’s overall approval rating has also dropped since June, according to the new survey, falling from 50 percent to 44 percent.

Part of that decrease can be attributed to the situation in Afghanistan, pollsters noted.

Thirty percent of adults questioned said they approve of the president’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan, while 60 percent said they disapprove.

While a majority of those polled support Biden’s decision to withdrawal U.S. troops from Afghanistan and end America’s longest war, a large percentage of respondents disapprove of the way he handled the mission.

Twenty-six percent said they support the withdrawal and approve of Biden’s handling of the situation, while 52 percent said they support the withdrawal but disapprove of Biden’s handling of the situation.

Seventeen percent said they oppose the withdrawal overall.

The poll surveyed 1,006 adults between Aug. 29 and Sept. 1. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.