A humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border and a series of foreign policy challenges have left President Obama with his some of worst public opinion ratings ever on the two issues.
Obama’s approval on immigration stands at 31 percent, which is one of the lowest since Gallup began tracking the issue in 2010. Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of his handling of immigration.
“Obama’s approval on immigration has dropped since last August across all political affiliations, even among those in his own party,” Gallup reported.
President Obama’s approval rating on immigration is only 31 percent.
Democrats give Obama a 60 percent approval. The number is significantly lower among independents at 25 percent and a mere 8 among Republicans.
Gallup cited three possible factors impacting public opinion: Obama’s delay of a review of deportation policies, Rep. Eric Cantor’s primary defeat (where immigration played a role), and heightened media coverage of unaccompanied children who have illegally crossed the border.
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Last week’s NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, meanwhile, found 37 percent of Americans approve of Obama’s foreign policy—an all-time low in the survey. Fifty-seven percent said they disapprove.
Americans’ dissatisfaction with Obama appears to be largely driven by the 44 percent who disagree with his decision to release five Taliban leaders in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl last month.
“Whether it’s [Vladimir] Putin, Ukraine, the VA hospitals, Bowe Bergdahl—the events have controlled Obama, rather than Obama having controlled the events,” Bill McInturff, the pollster who conducted the survey, told NBC News.
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Obama’s inability to “control” foreign policy events has left Americans doubtful of his leadership capabilities. When asked if Obama could lead and “get the job done,” 54 percent responded he couldn’t while 42 percent said he could.
A majority of Americans don’t think Obama can ‘get the job done.’
“He may be winning the issues debate, but he’s losing the political debate, because they don’t see him as a leader,” McInturff said.
The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,000 adults and has an overall margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1 percentage points. Gallup’s poll included responses from 1,027 adults with the margin of error at plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.
