Trump approval rating falls to 33% as Americans expect prolonged Iran conflict

Washington, United States. President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 33%, the lowest level of his presidency, as a Reuters/Ipsos poll found broad concern that U.S. involvement in the conflict with Iran will last a long time.

The four-day online poll, which concluded on Monday, found that 64% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s performance in the White House.

Approval rating

Trump’s approval rating declined from 35% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed earlier this month. It was lower than at any other point in his current term and matched the lowest rating of his previous term, recorded in December 2017.

Trump returned to the White House last year with approval from just under half of the country. His popularity declined this year after he ordered strikes on Iran alongside U.S. ally Israel.

Iran conflict

The ensuing conflict disrupted a fifth of global oil trade and led to higher gasoline prices, affecting U.S. households and Republican allies seeking to defend congressional majorities in the November midterm elections.

Trump had campaigned on promises to control inflation and avoid long-lasting wars. He initially said the conflict with Iran would take a few weeks and argued that it was necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon that could threaten the world.

Iran has continued to restrict oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz even as the conflict has cooled.

Poll findings

The poll found that 80% of Americans, including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, believed U.S. involvement in Iran would continue for an extended period. Sixteen percent said they expected the conflict to end within a few weeks.

Reuters/Ipsos conducted the survey online among 1,166 U.S. adults nationwide. It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.