Trump Iran Handling Disapproval Hits 65% as Most Expect Conflict Past — SkimNews
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- Pew Research Center surveyed 5,062 adults Sept. 28–Oct. 4, 2026, finding 65% disapprove of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict and 33% approve — up from 61% disapproval and 37% approval in March.
- Republican approval of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict fell from 69% in March to 63% today, while Democrats' views stayed essentially unchanged — meaning the overall disapproval increase is driven entirely by erosion within Trump's own coalition.
- Only 34% of Americans now view the initial decision to use military force as the right call, down 4 points from March, with Republican support slipping from 71% to 65% and Democratic support flat at roughly 10%.
- 47% of Americans expect the Iran conflict to last longer than another year, while 30% say six months to a year and roughly two-in-ten expect it to end within six months — a stark reversal from March, when 43% expected resolution within six months.
- 73% of adults are extremely or very concerned about higher gas and fuel prices from the conflict, with Democratic concern rising from 79% to 85% since March and Republican concern steady around 59–61%.
- 58% of Americans are extremely or very concerned about the U.S. sending ground troops into Iran, a sharp partisan split of 72% of Democrats versus 43% of Republicans, while 71% overall worry about American troops being wounded or killed.
- Concern about weapons shortages for the U.S. military rose to 45% among Democrats (up from 34% in March), while Republican concern stayed low and roughly unchanged, and overall concern about domestic terrorist attacks fell since the conflict's start.
Why it matters: With Republican support for Trump's Iran handling slipping from 69% to 63% — and 47% of Americans now expecting the conflict to last over a year — public-opinion headwinds on the military action are intensifying rather than fading. Rising gas-price concern (73% overall, 85% among Democrats) and persistent worry about ground troops (58%) cut across partisan bases, leaving the administration with narrowing room to sustain the operation politically.
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