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.
On attitudes to the present conflict, 58 percent told Fox they opposed it, with just 42 percent in favor; of those, only 20 percent were strongly in favor and 22 percent somewhat in favor.
On the first day of the strikes last month, the for-and-against camps were split exactly 50/50.
Asked how they thought the war was going, 47 percent of voters said "well," but only 19 percent said "very well," 37 percent said "somewhat well," and 52 percent said "not at all well."
Those answers broadly tally with Pew Research Center’s latest findings, which record a 61 percent net disapproval over the conflict, compared to just 37 percent net approval, with 44 percent of the naysayers expressing strong disapproval of the hostilities.
Pew also found that 59 percent of Americans believe Trump was wrong to use military force in Iran and 45 percent believe the war is not going well.
Trump’s woes come as conservatives gather for CPAC in Texas, where the midterms are very much on the minds of attendees.
“We cannot let the left win this election cycle and take away this agenda that we are fighting for every single day,” said Michael Whatley, North Carolina Senate candidate and former chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Whatley warned that a blue wave sweeping Democrats back into control of Congress would be a disaster for their party. “It is impeachment, it is hoaxes, it is investigations, and an agenda that is off the rails,” he said.
Former congressman-turned-TV personality Matt Gaetz also called on Republicans to unite despite their differences over events in the Middle East.
“We cannot move into the midterms with self-inflicted wounds,” Gaetz said. “We have to end this cancel culture that is now occurring on the right. Dissent and disagreement has to be allowed.”
Battle over Trump’s SAVE Act reveals how much Thune must be missing Mitch McConnell
Trump’s ‘unpredictability’ means UK can’t rely on US in time of crisis, MPs warn
Harvests and food prices at risk as Iran war triggers global fertiliser crunch
Oil prices soar past $110 a barrel again after Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed
Trump doubles down on Newsom dyslexia attack with ‘mental disability’ claim
China investigates US trade practices ahead of key Trump visit
