President Trump’s approval rating has hit a new low, according to a recent economist/YouGov poll taken as he sought to engage the US in Middle Eastern conflict.
The polling revealed that following Trump’s announcement of bombings at three Iranian nuclear sites, his performance stood at a dismal 40% approval and 54% disapproval—resulting in a net approval that was 14% underwater.
This marks the lowest level of approval for Trump during his second term, even falling below much of his first term’s ratings.
In this context, Americans tended to disapprove of Trump’s handling of various issues. For instance, there was a negative 2% net approval for national security and a more pronounced negative 26% regarding inflation and prices. His handling of the situation between Israel and Iran reflected a negative 17% net score, which was down from a previous week.
Interestingly, Trump characterized the operation against Iran as “very successful,” which seemed to bolster support among Republicans concerning the issue.
Before the announcement, 57% of Republicans approved of Trump’s overall strategy regarding the conflict, with nearly one-third supporting the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. Following his announcement, approval among Republicans surged to 82%, with support for bombing rising to 70%.
Conversely, among Democrats, opposition to attacking the facilities increased from 56% to 74% after Trump’s announcement. Many Democratic leaders have criticized Trump’s decision to strike Iran, suggesting it could have significant repercussions.
On Monday night, Trump declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, expressing hope that the conflict, which he referred to as a “12-day war,” would soon end. However, the next day, he noted violations of the ceasefire terms and reassured followers on his platform that the ceasefire remained effective.
As Trump headed to a NATO summit in The Hague, the Israeli-Iran conflict was expected to dominate discussions with other world leaders.
The polls revealed “significant divisions” among Republicans regarding foreign involvement. Just under half—48%—of Republicans favored active participation in global matters, while 31% preferred the country to withdraw from international engagements. Among those in favor of involvement, three-quarters supported bombing Iran’s nuclear sites, contrasting with only 35% of more isolationist Republicans who supported similar actions.
The survey included responses from 1,590 US adults conducted from June 20 to 23, featuring a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Notably, one-third of participants responded before Trump’s announcement about the strike, while 63% contributed after it was made.
