65% Disapprove of Trump Iran Handling as War Seen Dragging On — SkimNews
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- 65% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the U.S. military action in Iran, up from 61% in March, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026 among 5,062 adults.
- Republican support for Trump's handling of the conflict has dropped from 69% to 63% since March, while Democratic disapproval remains unchanged — the partisan gap is narrowing from the right.
- 47% of Americans expect the Iran conflict to last longer than another year, while only about 20% think it will end within six months; in March, 43% expected a swift resolution.
- Support for the initial decision to use military force has fallen 4 points to 34%, driven by Republican decline (71% to 65%), while just 10% of Democrats ever considered it the right call.
- 73% of Americans are extremely or very concerned about higher gas and fuel prices, and 71% about American troops being wounded or killed — both concerns that have grown since March, especially among Democrats.
- 58% of adults are extremely or very concerned about the U.S. sending ground troops into Iran, with a stark 29-point partisan gap (72% of Democrats vs. 43% of Republicans).
- The survey was conducted before Trump's recent comments about Iran possibly striking U.S. cities, meaning public reaction to those remarks is not captured in these numbers.
Why it matters: The erosion is happening inside Trump's own coalition: Republican approval of his Iran handling fell from 69% to 63% in six months, and GOP support for the initial use of force dropped from 71% to 65%. With 73% of Americans worried about gas prices and 58% opposed to ground troops, the political room for escalation is shrinking as the conflict passes the one-year mark.
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