By Sanjeev Sharma

New York, Aug 20 (IANS): Americans have further soured on Vice President Kamala Harris as she continues her radio silence on the chaotic and tragic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, a new poll indicates.

According to a Rasmussen Reports survey, released on Thursday, 55 per cent of likely voters say the former Senator from California is either "not qualified" or "not at all qualified" to assume the duties of the presidency.

By contrast, 43 per cent consider Harris "qualified" or "very qualified" to be commander in chief, the New York Post reported.

The same poll found in April that 49 per cent of likely voters said Harris was qualified to become President, though 51 per cent of voters had an "unfavourable impression" of her.

The poll was taken between August 12 to 15, as the Taliban embarked on its sweeping offensive across Afghanistan that led to the collapse of that country's Western-backed government weeks before the deadline to remove US combat forces.

Harris has not held a public event since last week, when she cut short a meeting with CEOs to discuss the Joe Biden administration's childcare proposals in order to receive an intelligence briefing about Afghanistan, the report said.

Since then, she has taken part in at least four briefings with President Biden and his national security team, but has confined her public statements about Afghanistan to Twitter and did not appear at his side when he attempted to defend the withdrawal in remarks from the White House East Room on Monday.