President Donald Trump’s unpopular Operation Epic Fury assault on Iran threatens to come back to haunt him at November’s midterm elections, a stark reality exposed by three new charts that make for dire reading for conservatives.
On the eve of the conflict’s one-month anniversary, the American public seems no more convinced about the need for the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran and remains concerned about mixed messaging from the administration on its true purpose, likely duration, and impact on the economy.
Voters have repeatedly told pollsters over the last four weeks that they have serious doubts about the war, culminating in the publication of particularly damning polls in recent days.
A Fox News survey published this week found that a huge 59 percent of Americans now disapprove of Trump’s performance as commander in chief, a low for his second term.
Another released by Reuters/Ipsos put the president’s approval rating even lower, at 36 percent.
Both also found respondents deeply worried about the rising cost of everyday goods, particularly gas, the price of which has rocketed at the pumps as a result of Iran’s retaliation for the strikes by effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.
The Fox poll found that 86 percent of people identify the cost of living as a major cause of worry, while the Reuters survey saw Trump score just 25 percent approval for his handling of the economy, a key reason many people voted for him in the 2024 presidential election.
The latest data from the American Automobile Association shows the average cost of regular fuel across the U.S. has risen by almost.
If the trend continues and household budgets take another hit, few voters are likely to forgive the president when casting their ballots in the midterms.
While it is the fate of most presidents to see their second-term popularity slide, Trump has fallen from an average approval rating that analyst Nate Silver placed at 52 percent when he took office in January 2025 to just 40.1 percent this week.
His disapproval rating, meanwhile, has risen to 56.7 percent.
Opposition to Trump appears to have been a major reason for recent Democrat successes, with The Downballot website finding that left-leaning candidates did 13 percent better in contested special elections last year than in the same districts during the presidential race.
Earlier this week, Democrat Emily Gregory even won a special election in deep-red Palm Beach County, Florida, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home is located.
The latest polling from Fox and Reuters also revealed a deep animosity to the war in Iran, with 64 percent telling the former they disapproved of Trump’s stance on Tehran, 36 percent were in favor.
