Trump Approval Hits 33% Amid Prolonged War With Iran

The job approval rating for Donald Trump has fallen to 33%, a record low for his second term and tied with his December 2017 low, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,166 adults. The decline is driven by public dissatisfaction with a war against Iran that began in February 2026 with coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel. Approximately 80% of Americans believe the conflict will continue for an extended period, contradicting earlier presidential claims that it would last only a few weeks.

The conflict has paralyzed 20% of the global oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing U.S. gasoline prices from under $3 to over $4 per gallon. At a rally in Garden City, New York, Trump defended these costs as a necessary price to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales countered the polling data by asserting the United States has never been stronger.

Economic sentiment has shifted as a result, with 38% of respondents now believing Democrats would manage the economy better than Republicans (35%), the first such lead in a decade. This occurs as the U.S. shifts toward economic warfare after exhausting critical stockpiles of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles. While Trump describes the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a "wall of steel," the administration faces further domestic pressure ahead of the November midterms due to inflation and proposed 50% tariffs on Canada.