By Jason Lange
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Americans are anxious over a brewing conflict between the U.S. and Iran and worry the violence could escalate after President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday.
Some 79% of Americans surveyed said they worried “that Iran may target U.S. civilians in response to the U.S. airstrikes.” The three-day poll, which began after the U.S. airstrikes and ended early Monday before Iran launched missiles at a U.S. air base in Qatar, showed Americans were similarly concerned about their country’s military personnel stationed in the Middle East. Some 84% said they worried in general about the growing conflict.
The poll, which surveyed 1,139 U.S. adults nationwide, underscored deep divisions in America over what Washington should do next and highlighted the political risks faced by Trump, whose presidential approval rating fell to 41%, the lowest level of his current term in office that began in January.
Some 36% of respondents – including 13% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans – said they supported the strikes, which took place just two days ago. The poll had a 3 percentage point margin of error and the public’s view of the conflict could evolve in the days and weeks ahead.
Only 32% of people in the survey said they supported continued U.S. airstrikes, compared to 49% who said they were opposed. However, within Trump’s Republican Party, 62% backed further strikes and 22% were opposed. Republicans were more deeply divided when asked if they supported an immediate end to U.S. involvement in the conflict with Iran, with 42% saying Washington should end its involvement now and 40% opposed to the idea.
Significant majorities of Democrats were opposed to bombing Iran further and in favor of ending the conflict immediately.
Trump ordered the U.S. military to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites on Saturday, a dramatic and risky shift in foreign policy following repeated pledges by Trump to avoid military interventions in major foreign wars. Trump has built his political brand around a pledge to put “America first,” and his election campaigns last year and ahead of his first term in office both stressed opposition to U.S. involvement in foreign wars.
APPROVAL HITS LOWEST OF NEW TERM
The president’s overall approval rating, down 1 percentage point from 42% earlier in the month, has largely held steady in recent months, but is below the 47% reading in a Reuters/Ipsos poll just after he returned to the White House.
Approval of his foreign policy stance fell more sharply, down 4 points to 35%, with more Americans disapproving than approving of his handling of relations with Israel, Iran, Russia and Ukraine — all engulfed in war at the moment.
Approval over Trump’s handling of the economy slipped 4 points to 35% while his rating on immigration, his strongest showing among different areas of policy, fell 1 percentage point to 43%.
The Trump administration has aggressively stepped up immigration enforcement over the past month, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials given a daily quota to make 3,000 arrests per day, 10 times the average last year during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)
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