Early polling indicates that most Americans disapprove of the strikes President Donald Trump authorized against Iran this past weekend.
According to a new poll conducted over the weekend—prior to reports that six U.S. soldiers have been killed—only 27% of Americans approved of the U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran, while 43% disapproved. Furthermore, this is not the only available poll.
The military operations conducted by the U.S. and Israel against Iran occur just months before the U.S. midterm elections and could emerge as a critical issue. This is particularly significant as the President, who campaigned on promises of peace, has signaled that the campaign will shift and may even involve further conflict.
“Trump promised to end wars,” stated Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday. “He has now initiated more wars than any president in modern American history. Instead of affordable healthcare and groceries, the American people are left to pay the billion-dollar costs for Trump’s foreign wars of choice.”
Since taking office last January, Trump has authorized strikes against seven countries. The U.S. and Israeli targeting of Iran’s Supreme Leader represents the second recent instance of the Trump Administration orchestrating foreign regime change, following the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.
Trump seemed to dismiss the apparent unpopularity of his actions. During an interview with the press on Monday, he stated, “I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling. I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago.”
“Look, regardless of whether polling is low or not, I think the polling is probably fine. But it’s not a question of polling. You cannot let Iran, a nation that has been run by crazy people, have a nuclear weapon,” Trump continued. “I think people are very impressed with what is happening, actually. … I think it’s a silent—if you did a real poll, the silent poll—and it’s like a silent majority.”
Partisan divide
Approximately 59% of Americans do not approve of Trump’s decision to strike Iran, according to a poll conducted by SSRS, while roughly 41% of poll respondents stated they approved of the move.
However, the CNN poll also revealed that Americans are sharply divided along party lines. Over 80% of Democrats indicated they disapproved of the strikes, whereas only 23% of Republicans shared that view. The CNN poll surveyed more than 1,000 respondents via text message over the weekend. Less than 20% of Democrats voiced support for the military action, while 77% of Republicans expressed their support for the decision. Among independent respondents, 68% disapproved of the strikes, compared to 32% who approved.
That partisan divide was mirrored in other polls as well. Journalists at the Post, who texted more than 1,000 Americans on Sunday to gauge their feelings on the strikes, found that 81% of Republicans supported the military action, while only 9% of Democrats did. Only 12% of Republicans said they opposed the attack, whereas 87% of Democrats expressed their disapproval. Among independents, 28% supported the attack, while 59% opposed it.
The Post reported that, overall, 52% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s decision to launch the attack, compared to 39% who supported the move and 9% who were unsure of their stance.
Differences are evident on the streets as well. In cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, and others, Americans have protested the war, even as others have gathered to celebrate the death of Khamenei.
