Poll Shows Majority of Americans Disapprove of Handling of Iran Conflict

A poll conducted at the end of April by the Institute for Global Affairs found that 58 percent of Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of the conflict with Iran. The survey reported that 79 percent of respondents said the conflict has affected their cost of living at least somewhat, while 62 percent said it has become harder to pay bills in the past six months.

A majority of 56 percent said the conflict affects who they support in elections, including 36 percent who said it does so a great deal.

Democrats, 71 percent said the conflict affects their voting decisions. Roughly half of independents and 45 percent of Republicans gave the same response. The poll also found that 49 percent of respondents believe the conflict has made the United States less safe. A plurality of 43 percent said Iran is more likely to obtain a nuclear weapon now than before the conflict began.

Trump told reporters that he believes the conflict is popular when Americans understand the nuclear threat. He described a scenario in which Iran would use nuclear weapons against Israel and other countries in the region. Vice President JD Vance said at a White House briefing that Iran could use nuclear weapons for leverage in economic negotiations.

He added that Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon could trigger an arms race across multiple countries.