The Iran War: A Second Front of Disapproval
The conflict with Iran has become the second major drag on Trump’s numbers, and in some polls it is now approaching his economic ratings for depth of disapproval. Two-thirds of respondents in the NBC News Decision Desk survey disapproved of Trump’s handling of both inflation and the Iran conflict.
A Marist poll found Trump’s net approval rating had fallen to an all-time low – 22 points underwater – his lowest net approval rating in a Marist survey at any point in either of his terms. Sixty-one percent of Americans disapproved of how Trump is handling the economy, up from 58% in March, according to Marist, and his approval rating on Iran dropped to 27 points underwater, down from 18 points in March.
The YouGov and Economist tracking survey recorded a net approval of minus 19 percentage points in early April, with 37% approving and 56% disapproving. YouGov and Economist polling recorded Trump’s approval with independents at 22% in the most recent wave, down from 25% in late February and 31% in early March.
The two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict did not meaningfully move the numbers, with around two-thirds of Americans continuing to disapprove of Trump’s handling of the conflict even after it was announced.
Americans’ frustrations are compounded by the fact that Trump had explicitly promised to tackle inflation and keep the United States out of foreign entanglements during his 2024 presidential campaign. The gap between those promises and governing reality appears to be a central factor in how voters are processing their dissatisfaction.