Majority of Americans Oppose Trump’s Iran War Decision as Approval Ratings Slide: NYT/Siena Poll
A majority of American voters believe that Donald Trump made the wrong decision by taking the United States into conflict with Iran, according to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
The findings suggest that the military action has weakened the political standing of the Republican Party ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
The survey revealed widespread public dissatisfaction over the conflict, with many voters feeling that the war has not justified its human, political and economic costs.
The poll also reflected growing anxiety among Americans over the state of the US economy and rising living expenses.
Against the backdrop of the increasingly unpopular Middle East conflict, Trump’s approval rating reportedly fell to 37 per cent — the lowest level of his second term so far, according to the poll results.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the United States should not have entered the conflict with Iran.
Opposition was especially strong among independent voters, a key electoral group, with almost three-quarters describing the war as a wrong decision.
Only a small section of voters — less than one-fourth overall — believed that the conflict was worth the cost borne by the country.
While Republican voters largely continued to support Trump’s leadership and his handling of the war, the broader electorate expressed growing scepticism over his performance on major domestic concerns, including inflation, the economy and the cost of living.
The poll further indicated rising public dissatisfaction with Trump’s overall job performance.
Around 69 per cent of voters disapproved of the way he was handling his presidency, a noticeable increase from 62 per cent recorded in a January Times/Siena survey.
Many independent voters and a growing number of Americans also said they personally felt negatively impacted by his policies.
Meanwhile, Trump on Monday claimed that he had initially authorised a fresh wave of US military strikes against Iran earlier this week but decided to halt the operation at the last moment to keep diplomatic channels open.
According to Trump, leaders from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia urged Washington to allow more time for negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran.
In a post shared on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said Gulf leaders believed there was still a possibility of securing a deal that would be “acceptable” to the United States while preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“We will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow,” Trump wrote, while also warning that American forces should remain fully prepared for a “full, large-scale assault” if diplomatic efforts fail to produce an acceptable agreement.
