Just one in three Americans now supports the military conflict against Iran, marking the lowest level of public approval recorded in a Reuters/Ipsos poll since the five-month-old war began. The survey reveals a deeply skeptical public, with a vast majority saying President Donald Trump has not clearly articulated the mission’s objectives.
The national poll, conducted from Friday through Sunday, also showed the Republican president’s overall job approval rating edging up to 37%, a three-point increase from last month when his numbers tied the lowest point of his presidency. However, the persistent unpopularity of the foreign intervention casts a long shadow over his administration.
Shifting Goals Fuel Public Skepticism
President Trump has offered a range of shifting justifications for the conflict, from aiding internal Iranian opposition to topple their government, to dismantling Tehran’s ballistic-missile arsenal and preventing the development of a nuclear weapon. The poll found that 69% of Americans—including four in ten Republicans—believe Trump has not “clearly explained the goals of US military involvement in Iran.”
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales dismissed the findings, stating that the president makes decisions based on national security, not “fluid opinion polls.” She reiterated Trump’s resolve to prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon. “What matters most to the American people is having a commander in chief who takes bold action to keep them safe,” Wales said.
Approval for the conflict has stubbornly remained below 40% since US and Israeli forces launched strikes on February 28. This stands in stark contrast to the opening months of other recent major conflicts. While each war had a unique context, the 2003 Iraq War enjoyed the support of roughly 70% of Americans in its early stages, and the Afghanistan War, which began in 2001, was backed by about 90% of the public, according to historical Gallup data.
Political Fallout Ahead of Midterms
Public disapproval of the war is weighing heavily on Trump and his Republican Party as they prepare for the November midterm elections, where the president’s allies will defend slim majorities in the US Congress. The sentiment is palpable among voters who once formed his base.
“It’s not clear why we started a war with them. I have no idea,” said Alex Womack, a retired turbine repair specialist from Stockbridge, Georgia. Womack, a Republican and former US Marine who served during the 1991 Gulf War, said his support for Trump has ebbed because of the conflict. “I don’t think he’s doing very well, personally,” he added.
The human and economic costs are mounting. To date, 18 American soldiers have died in the conflict, while thousands have perished in Iran and in Lebanon, where Iran-allied fighters have battled Israeli forces. The war has also driven gasoline prices sharply higher, dealing a financial blow to many households. Nationwide, prices are averaging just over $4 a gallon, up from about $3 just before the war began.
“This puts pressure on the party in a myriad of ways, all of them bad,” said Alex Conant, a Republican political strategist and former White House spokesman under President George W. Bush. “The White House officials have been saying since January that they need to win economic arguments. It’s hard to win the economic arguments when you’re clearly focused on foreign policy.”
Independent Voters Swing Away
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates a significant shift among independent registered voters, who now favor the Democratic congressional candidate over the Republican by a margin of 36% to 20%. Independents also favored Democrats over Republicans on economic policy, the poll found.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to keep the United States out of enduring conflicts. He initially estimated the Iran war would last just four to five weeks and has bristled at comparisons to protracted engagements like the Vietnam War.
Rhyan Anderson, an independent voter from Fairburn, Georgia, who supported Trump in 2024, believes the president’s priorities are misplaced. “My biggest thing is just focus on the people who are actually in the country,” said Anderson, who works two jobs. “I know we have allies and things like that, but there’s a lot of people here that really need help.”
The Reuters/Ipsos survey has tracked war support since mid-March, when 37% of respondents said they supported military strikes on Iran. That figure has now fallen to 33%. The latest poll was conducted online nationwide, gathering responses from 1,246 US adults, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
