The data reveals: Public support for Trump is at a low - even within his base
The campaign in Iran is damaging the president's public standing and making it difficult for the Republican Party to maintain its majority in the midterm elections.
In brief: A CNN poll shows that only about a third of Americans support Donald Trump — a new low in his second term. More than two-thirds of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with his handling of Iran. The decline in Donald Trump's standing has also spilled over into the Republican Party, though he still enjoys fairly broad support there. The US midterm elections will take place in early November and may shape the end of the president's term.
US President Donald Trump is conducting the campaign in Iran with one eye on the sentiments of the American public and the upcoming midterm elections, but the data is not encouraging for him. A new CNN poll published on Wednesday reveals that an absolute majority of the American public believes that Donald Trump's decisions regarding military action in Iran have harmed the US. He has reached a low in his approval rating — even within the Republican Party.
According to the poll, 67% of Americans believe that Donald Trump's decisions regarding military action in Iran have harmed the US, compared to only 21% who believe his decisions have helped the country. A long series of polls published in recent months indicates that the war in Iran itself is unpopular with the general public, and Donald Trump is paying a political and public price for it.
In line with the American public's dissatisfaction with the campaign in Iran, the overall approval rating for Donald Trump stands at 34% — a new low in his second term compared to CNN polls. Donald Trump recorded a similar figure only at the end of his first term in the White House — after the events of the Capitol riot in 2021. Also according to the poll, half of Americans currently express strong opposition to his presidency, the highest rate throughout his two terms, while only 15% express enthusiastic support — an unprecedented low.
Dissatisfaction with Donald Trump extends beyond Democratic or independent voters, and even within the Republican Party, a decline in support for him has been recorded. The president's approval rating among party voters has fallen to a new low of 78%, and only 19% of Republicans say they are enthusiastic about the continuation of his second term — a sharp decline compared to 38% a few months ago.
Furthermore, an absolute majority of Americans believe that Donald Trump has not paid enough attention to the country's most important problems, and that his policies have worsened the economic situation. A significant portion of the dissatisfaction comes following the rise in oil prices which led to a wave of price increases in the US and raised fuel prices by tens of percent.
The decline in the president's popularity comes at a particularly bad political timing for him, 3 months before the midterm elections in the United States, which may shape the last two years of his term. In the Republican Party, there are fears that the dissatisfaction with Donald Trump will also affect other candidates in the party, and a number of US media outlets reported that advisors and figures in the Republican system are advising the president to take into account the political consequences of the campaign in Iran.
