Only one in four Americans approve of the recent US strikes that killed Iran’s leader, with about half of respondents, including a quarter of Republicans, believing Donald Trump is too willing to use military force, a Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded on Sunday.
Just 27% of those surveyed approved of the strikes, while 43% disapproved and 29% remained unsure. Nine out of 10 respondents had heard about the military operations, which began early on Saturday.
A majority of Americans, 56%, believe Trump is excessively inclined to use military force to advance US interests. This view was held by 87% of Democrats, 23% of Republicans and 60% of independents.
Conducted during U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the poll closed before the US military announced its first casualties.
Since the operations began, four US service members have been killed and five seriously wounded. While 55% of Republicans approved, 4% within Trump’s party indicated they would be less likely to support the campaign if it led to “U.S. troops in the Middle East being killed or injured.”
Economic concerns also emerged, with 45% of respondents (34% of Republicans, 44% of independents) stating they would withdraw support if petrol or oil prices increased. Brent crude prices surged 10% to approximately $80 a barrel on Sunday, with analysts predicting a potential climb to $100.
Donald Trump’s presidential approval rating saw a slight dip to 39%.
The strikes began three days before the first primaries of the US midterm elections, where voters’ primary concern remains the economy, not foreign affairs, according to Reuters/Ipsos polls.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered online responses from 1,282 US adults nationwide and has a margin of error of three percentage points.
