Only one in four Americans believes President Donald Trump’s war with Iran was worth the cost, while a majority fear the truce with Tehran is unlikely to last, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published Tuesday.
The survey found that just 23% of Americans, including only about half of Republicans, believe the United States is now in a stronger position against Iran than it was before the war. About 35% said the U.S. is in a weaker position, while the rest said they were unsure or believed America’s position was roughly unchanged.
US President Donald Trump
(Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
The findings paint a difficult political picture for Trump after the conflict with Iran, with the poll also showing his approval rating falling to 34%, matching the lowest level of his current term. Trump began his second term with a 47% approval rating.
Only 24% of Americans said the war with Iran was worth the costs, including the impact on energy prices. About half of respondents said the conflict was not worth it, while the rest said they were unsure.
Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a preliminary agreement on June 17 that would reopen oil and gas shipping lanes frozen by the conflict while easing U.S.-led economic pressure on Iran.
The deal has led to a rapid drop in global crude oil prices, but for most Americans, gasoline prices remain considerably higher than they were before the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes that triggered the war. Iran responded to the initial attack with strikes that shut down about a fifth of global oil trade and damaged energy facilities belonging to U.S. regional allies.
The poll also found deep skepticism about the agreement itself. About 63% of Americans said it was unlikely that the deal signed by Trump would lead to lasting peace between Washington and Tehran.
About half of Republicans and eight in 10 Democrats said the deal was unlikely to deliver peace. Just 18% of Americans, including 10% of Democrats and 34% of Republicans, said lasting peace was likely.
Reuters noted that Trump won the 2024 presidential election after promising to lower inflation and keep the United States out of costly foreign wars. His political brand has long leaned on his image as a dealmaker, shaped by his background in real estate and reality television.
The poll also showed Trump struggling on domestic issues. His approval rating on the cost of living stood at 22%, near the lowest level of his presidency and below the rating of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, at the end of his term.
Trump’s declining popularity could become a concern for Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, when the party will defend its congressional majorities. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just 17% of independent registered voters said they would vote for the Republican candidate in their district if the election were held today, compared with 34% who said they would choose the Democrat.
The poll also found that 37% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of immigration, the lowest level of his term and down from 40% in the previous Reuters/Ipsos survey.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses from 1,262 adults across the United States and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.