US president Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his current presidency, with just 33 per cent of Americans approving of his performance. A majority are concerned that the US war with Iran could last a long time, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday.
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The four-day survey found that 64 per cent of respondents disapproved of Trump’s performance, while his approval rating fell from 35 per cent in a poll that concluded earlier this month. The 33 per cent approval rate matches the lowest level recorded during his first term, in December 2017.
About 80 per cent of Americans, including 87 per cent of Democrats and 71 per cent of Republicans, believe US involvement in Iran “will go on for an extended period of time”, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Only 16 per cent said they expected the conflict to end within a few weeks.
After returning to the White House in 2025 with just under half of Americans approving of his presidency, Trump’s popularity has taken a hit this year following his decision to order strikes on Iran alongside US ally Israel.
The ensuing conflict disrupted about a fifth of global oil trade and drove up gasoline prices, putting pressure on US households and complicating efforts by Trump’s Republican allies to defend their congressional majorities in the November midterm elections.
Trump campaigned on promises to keep inflation under control and avoid prolonged wars, initially saying the conflict with Iran would last only a few weeks. However, Iran has proved resilient and has continued to restrict oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, even as the fighting has eased.
The Republican Party’s approach to immigration has remained more popular than the Democrats’ throughout Trump’s term, following a sharp decline in border crossings and a nationwide crackdown ordered by the president. However, Republicans are losing ground amid deadly confrontations and a rise in the number of detainees, including children.
According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, 40 per cent of registered voters said Republicans have the better approach to immigration policy, compared with 38 per cent who favoured Democrats. The two-point gap is the narrowest of Trump’s term, down from a 26-point Republican lead in January 2025.
Last week, Trump told a rally of supporters that paying “a tiny little bit more for your gasoline” was worth the cost of ensuring that “a very evil country”, referring to Iran, could not obtain a nuclear weapon.
However, a recent Politico poll found that only about one-third of self-identified Make America Great Again (MAGA) voters, who typically form Trump’s most loyal base, believed the economic costs of the war with Iran were worth it.
