(Aug 12): Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s approval rating has dropped to the lowest level since he took office last year, underscoring the hit he has taken from a range of political setbacks.

Just 28% of respondents in a poll released by the media outlet TVBS on Monday said they were satisfied with Lai’s performance, down from 32% in the previous survey in May.

The results follow a landslide defeat in an unprecedented recall effort backed by Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party that aimed to remove more than one-third of opposition lawmakers from office. Some analysts have interpreted the outcome as a sign that voters were weary of Lai’s anti-China rhetoric, and instead want the focus on economic and livelihood issues.