“Unfortunately, the American people want to see us come home.” President Donald Trump made that remark to reporters on April 6, as he also said Iran’s proposal in the negotiations was insufficient — one day before he unexpectedly announced that it could serve as a basis for talks, and that he was therefore declaring a two-week ceasefire in the war, which was later extended without a new deadline.
Since then, the negotiations have dragged on with no progress. Trump imposed a naval blockade to pressure Tehran economically, but also admitted that an agreement may not be possible at all. He continues to keep the option of renewing the war on the table, but does not appear eager to resume strikes.
Trump responds to Iran's latest proposal: 'Not happy with it'
(Video: From X social media platform)
“Do we want to bomb the hell out of them and finish them off? Or do we want to try to make an agreement? Those are the options,” he said Friday, after saying he was dissatisfied with the new Iranian proposal — and immediately adding that his preference was not to renew the strikes: “I’d rather not, on a humanitarian basis I’d rather not.”
Alongside the question of whether strikes, however severe, can actually force Iran to yield and compromise in the negotiations, one central issue that a White House official acknowledged is occupying the president is domestic politics. Polls show broad American opposition to the war and Trump’s popularity at a low point. A White House official told Reuters Tuesday, in a report saying senior administration officials had asked U.S. intelligence to examine how Iran would respond if Trump simply declared victory and withdrew from the conflict, that the internal pressure on the president to end the war is “enormous.”
That report stressed that there is no indication Trump will in fact choose that path, while the president himself repeatedly says he will not agree to any deal that does not dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. Still, it offers another indication of the influence domestic pressure in the United States is having on his decision-making regarding Iran.
Polls in the United States showed from the outset that a large majority of Americans opposed Trump’s decision to launch the war — a move that also frustrated parts of his MAGA base, with the president clashing since then with several prominent influencers and activists previously seen as loyal supporters. Opposition to the war has only grown amid the surge in oil prices caused by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, which has continued even after the ceasefire. Gasoline prices at U.S. pumps now average $4.30 a gallon, their highest level since July 2022.
6 View gallery
Gas prices in the US have soared: in California they have already reached more than $6 per gallon
(Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
6 View gallery
Gas station in Los Angeles area: oil prices surge following war with Iran
(Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP)
The average American is now paying $1.32 more for every gallon of gasoline than before the war began. A poll published over the weekend by The Washington Post and ABC found that four in 10 Americans have had to drive less or cut spending, while three in 10 have changed vacation or travel plans. Forty percent said their financial situation is worse than when Trump returned to the White House early last year, up from 33% in a previous poll published in February.
According to the poll, 61% of Americans believe the decision to go to war with Iran was a mistake, and only 19% said the war was successful. Naturally, the figures vary significantly by party, but even among respondents who identified as Republicans, the numbers were not especially bright for Trump: 79% said the decision to go to war was right, and 46% said it was successful, while another 46% said it was too early to determine. Among Democrats, 91% said the war was a mistake, and 67% said it had turned out to be a failure. Independents who lean Republican were split: 52% said entering the war was right, while 46% said it was a mistake.
Even in MAGA, not everyone liked the threat to ‘destroy a civilization’
The Washington Post noted that the overall share of Americans opposing the war in the poll is very similar to the unpopularity of the wars in Iraq and Vietnam when they were already at their height and thousands of soldiers had been killed — compared with the current war, which began only about two months ago and has killed “only” 13 U.S. soldiers. In April 2006, after 2,402 U.S. soldiers had been killed in Iraq, a Washington Post-ABC poll showed that 59% of Americans thought that war had been a mistake. In 1971, after more than 50,000 Americans had been killed in Vietnam, a Gallup poll showed that 61% thought that war had been a mistake.
Another notable finding in the current poll: 76% of respondents said they had a “negative reaction” to Trump’s dramatic April 7 post, in which he threatened that “an entire civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not reach an agreement with the United States. Only 21% had a positive reaction to the post. Among Republicans who identify with the president’s MAGA camp, 57% said they had a positive reaction. Among Republicans who do not identify as MAGA, 79% had a negative reaction.
Only 8% of all respondents said they had “a great deal of confidence” that even if an agreement is reached to end the war, it will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Forty-six percent said Trump’s actions do not match his campaign promises, one of which was not to start new wars, while only 21% said they do. Among Republicans, 48% said Trump’s actions match his campaign promises, 20% said they do not and 32% said they were unsure.
That poll was published three days after a Reuters survey found Trump’s approval rating at 34%, the lowest of his second term in Reuters/Ipsos polling, and a drop of two percentage points from a previous poll published by the news agency the week before. The president has still not reached the low recorded in Reuters polls during his first term, which stood at 33%. When he entered the White House in January 2025, his approval rating was 47%.
In the current poll, only 22% expressed satisfaction with Trump’s handling of the cost of living, down from 25% in the previous survey. Among Republicans, 52% expressed satisfaction with the president’s handling of the cost of living, compared with 41% who expressed dissatisfaction. Among independents, 71% expressed dissatisfaction. The poll found that only 34% support the war with Iran, down 2 points from the previous poll in mid-April. In Reuters’ mid-March poll, at the height of the war, 38% supported it.
6 View gallery
Republicans fear they will lose control not only of the House of Representatives, but also of the Senate. The Capitol Building in Washington
(Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America / AFP)
The Reuters poll was conducted April 24-27 among 1,269 Americans, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The Washington Post-ABC poll was conducted April 24-28 among 2,560 Americans, with a 2-point margin of error.
These polls add to Republican concerns ahead of the November 3 congressional elections, held as part of the midterms — elections held every four years in the middle of a president’s term and widely seen as a referendum on his performance. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, whose members serve two-year terms, will be up for reelection, as will one-third of the 100 Senate seats, whose members serve six-year terms. Republicans currently hold a narrow six-seat majority over Democrats in the House, 218 to 212, with five seats currently vacant, and a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Politico reported Thursday that senior Republican officials are increasingly worried about the worst-case scenario for them: losing control not only of the House, where Democrats’ chances of winning a majority are considered strong, but also of the Senate. The American news site revealed a memo written by the Republican super PAC Americans for Prosperity Action, warning that internal polls in states with critical Senate races show the Republican majority is in danger. “One-on-one conversations with voters show that for the first time, Democrats are more trusted on the economy and inflation,” the memo said.
Trump’s explanation, and the suffering supporter: ‘Don’t blame one person’
In response to the latest Washington Post-ABC poll, the White House said Trump does not make decisions based on public opinion polls.
“What matters most to the American people is having a commander in chief who takes decisive action to eliminate threats and keep them safe, and that is exactly what President Trump did in the successful Operation Epic Fury,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. “President Trump proudly campaigned on his promise to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop nuclear weapons, and he kept that promise. The president does not make these important national security decisions based on shifting public opinion polls, but based on what will be best for the American people.”
6 View gallery
Trump at a weekend rally in Florida; He's sure it's temporary damage: "I don't make decisions based on polls
(Photo: Nathan Howard / Getty Images/AFP)
Trump himself acknowledged that he is aware of the political damage the war is causing him and Republicans, but signaled that he sees it as temporary and that completing the goal of removing the Iranian threat justifies it.
“When we got to 50,000 on the Dow Jones and 7,000 on the S&P, I said to myself, ‘We have to do something about Iran,’” the president told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “And I hated doing it to my people ... and then I said [to National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett], ‘Sorry about this, Kevin, but we have to, we have to put out a fire.’ And the fire is happening in the lovely country of Iran, and they want to have nuclear weapons.”
In California, the surge in fuel prices is being felt especially sharply, with a gallon now costing more than $6. Ross Thomas, 28, from Los Angeles, told AFP he paid $130 to fill up at a gas station, $30 more than before the war.
“I’m angry about the price, but I’m even angrier about the reason it’s so high,” he said. “There was no need for this war. It’s exactly like when we invaded Iraq; there were no weapons of mass destruction. Trump is an idiot, and that’s all.”
AFP did not note whom he supports politically, but also spoke with another Los Angeles resident, David Chavez, who said he voted for Trump. “It’s not nice, we don’t want to pay more for gas,” said Chavez, a photographer, as he filled his minivan at a Costco station, where prices are usually lower.
At the same time, he added: “We don’t know what happens behind closed doors. It’s very easy to blame one person for all the problems.”