TEHRAN - A new poll has followed a similar pattern of other surveys over the past weeks that show a majority of Americans disapprove of U.S. President Joe Biden. However, the latest survey by NBC News has found the American President’s approval rating has, this time, sunk to an almost record low.

That’s an almost record low among all U.S. Presidents in their first year. Only 42 percent of adults say they approve of Biden’s overall job as president. With the key exception of Donald Trump (whose approval averaged 37 percent in the fall of 2017). If you fast forward four years not that much has changed. 

It comes on the heels of a difficult few months for Biden. He has faced a new surge of coronavirus cases and deaths (something analysts say is the straw that broke the camel’s back), and fallout from the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (something analysts say was an extremely close second to the straw that broke the camel’s back). That is in addition to rising inflation and disappointing unemployment levels. Can’t get any worse than that can it? Actually, it can; during all this time, the Democratic Party have been fighting among each other over Biden’s legislative agenda. 

Experts say Biden won the Presidential election because of Trump’s disastrous handling of the coronavirus pandemic that savaged the American economy leaving tens of millions out of work and dependent on government handouts. However, one year before next year's midterm elections and less than a week before Virginia's race for a new governor, Democrats trail Republicans on which party better handles the economy, inflation and immigration, while they’ve lost ground on issues like education and the coronavirus. Biden's lower standing has also taken a toll on his party.

While some Democrats have welcomed Biden on the campaign trail in contrast to 2017, the last time Virginia and New Jersey elected governors, then-President Donald Trump was nowhere to be seen. His approval rating at the time was also very low and neither of the GOP nominees wanted Trump anywhere near their campaigns. That may be attributed to Trump’s racist rhetoric that he delivered in public and alarmed many in the country and the international community. 

Trump was also facing a controversial Special Counsel investigation that probed alleged links between his associates and foreign officials along with alleged foreign interference in the 2016 U.S. election; allegations that have been rejected and an investigation that ended with no evidence of any foreign meddling. That is perhaps the only difference between Trump and Biden in their first years in office. 

Some Democrats however in battleground states and districts have started becoming anxious about their prospects and distanced themselves from the man currently sitting in the White House. 

Observers say the President is moving forward without any direction to improve his status. For example, the Biden administration is preparing to enforce nationwide vaccine mandates. While these are not exactly blanket orders for all Americans to vaccinate themselves, they do cover tens of millions of people including federal workers and the 80 million workers at companies with 100 or more employees or the estimated 17 million medical personnel at hospitals. 

Biden argues this is the only way out of the Covid crisis but he faces a nation where many believe the pandemic is not... well a pandemic. Some may attribute that largely to outbursts of former President Donald Trump that strongly downplayed the outbreak which in turn hit America very strongly. 

Biden came on the ticket of turning that around, yet it has proven a difficult task with some in America only just coming around to the idea of social distancing. Despite striking the right notes when advising the public on coronavirus as opposed to his predecessor, it looks like the appeal is just not there for Americans from the Commander in Chief. Either that or Biden has not thought out his covid strategy. 

Only nine months into his presidency, 71 percent of Americans say the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction.The vaccine mandates come at a time where there is a shortage in factory workers and protests against the mandatory jab have been widespread across the country damaging Biden’s approval further. The protests have ranged from marches in New York City and Chicago to mass resignations of health care workers, while New York City firefighters protested outside Mayor Bill de Blasio's residence on Thursday. Protesters are not particularly against taking the vaccine but argue they should have the choice to make their own decision.

Experts say the Pandemic has taken its toll with workers struggling to make ends meet or pay for health insurance or childcare and there is a lack of paid leave. This is while, nineteen states have filed separate lawsuits to stop Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing that the requirement violates federal law.

No doubt more disturbing for Biden to read will be that only nine months into his presidency: 71 percent of Americans say the United States is heading in the wrong direction. That’s possibly because the most concerning issues the President promised to change for the better, if elected, such as the economy, the pandemic, improving America’s image and standing in the world; by the signs of things he has failed on all fronts. There have been international rows with allies like France and the EU, maintaining the failed maximum pressure campaign on Iran. Again, issues the President pledged to change but has continued with his predecessor’s policies. 

The refugee crisis at the southern border is still making headlines with images of white border patrol agents on horseback whipping black Haitian asylum seekers strongly denting Biden’s image. This was something you would have expected to see during the Trump era. 

Poll results over the past month or two Indicate it was the manner with which U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan, ending America’s longest war, that really led to the beginning of the collapse of Biden’s domestic popularity. 

The circumstances of the withdrawal will go down in history and it was an unexpected political liability for Biden, with the Taliban taking over the country, a deadly terrorist attack at Kabul airport, a drone strike that killed children and a chaotic rush to evacuate tens of thousands of people before the August 31 deadline led to comparisons with America fleeing Vietnam. Analysts say generally, elections will be decided on domestic issues such as the economy, education and the pandemic. But such was the messy withdrawal from America’s longest war; it will live long in the memory of voters. Republicans will no doubt try to make the impact as damaging as possible despite playing a large part in the chaos themselves.

In fact, at the time, despite after 20-years occupying the country, trillions of dollars spent, just 36% of Americans said the war was worth fighting. There was 77% support for America to withdraw; the sticking point is how Biden handled the exit: The majority of polls disapproved.

Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies says “democrats face a country whose opinion of President Biden has turned sharply to the negative since April… the promise of the Biden presidency, knowledge, competence and stability in tough times, have all been called into question.”

Fellow Democratic pollster Peter Hart says “What people voted for was stability and calm, and what they got was instability and chaos.” 71 percent of Americans say they believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. 

Asked about the country’s future, just 41 percent said America’s best years are ahead, while 53 percent say its best years are behind. That’s a gloomy outlook and for all the words of encouragement that brought such a high turnout during the Presidential election, the celebratory mood has dampened to say the least and the country is now facing an uncertain winter.