Just one in three Americans backs the Iran war, most unsure of Trump's goals - poll
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only about a third of Americans support the war on Iran, the lowest reading since the five-month-old conflict began
A poll, conducted by Reuters, found Trump's approval rating ticked up to 37%, three points higher than last month, when his rating tied the lowest of his presidency. However, approval of the war with Iran has stayed below 40% since the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28, a sharp contrast to the early months of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, when public support stood at about 70% and 90% respectively, according to Gallup polling.
The poll found 69% of Americans, including four in 10 Republicans, believe Trump has not "clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran." White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump will not base decisions on "fluid opinion polls" and reiterated his resolve to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, saying, "What matters most to the American people is having a commander in chief who takes bold action to keep them safe."
Independent voters in the poll favored the Democratic congressional candidate over the Republican by 36% to 20%, and also favored Democrats over Republicans on economic policy. To date, 18 American soldiers have died in the conflict, and gasoline prices have risen to just over $4 a gallon nationwide, up from about $3 before the war began on February 28.
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Since mid-March, the Reuters/Ipsos survey has asked respondents whether they support or oppose military strikes on Iran. At that time, 37% said they supported the war, compared to 27% approval on the day the war began, when 29% of respondents said they were unsure.
The survey was conducted online and nationwide, gathering responses from 1,246 US adults, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.