Washington, June 14: Public approval for US President Barack Obama has receded amid growing discontent over his administration’s failure to contain the country’s worst ecological disaster.
Buffeted by the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Obama’s job approval has slid to 44 percent with 48 percent of those polled expressing disapproval of his performance as the US president, according to a new Gallup poll.
The survey also portray a grim view of Obama’s handling of the most formidable tasks during his presidency , with 46 percent of people conveying disappointment over his response to the oil spill tragedy.
Only 40 percent of those polled between 5-6 June approve of his dealing with the crisis that has been brewing for 55 consecutive days.
Oil has been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico since the April explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and opened the floodgates of an ecological disaster on a planetary scale.
Since then, efforts by British Petroleum (BP) to contain the escaping oil gushing into the water have failed.
Obama plans to discuss the issue in a Wednesday meeting with BP officials after he returns from a visit to the Gulf to assess cleanup measures.
——Agencies