United States President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since his return to the White House, dropping to 34 percent amidst economic uncertainty and the US-Israel war on Iran, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey, released on Tuesday, also indicated that only 22 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s performance regarding the cost of living, a critical issue for US voters.
The Iran war, which led to Tehran blocking most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, has caused global energy prices to surge and fueled inflation within the US. The Reuters poll, conducted from April 24-27, surveyed 1,014 US adults. This decline in approval comes just months before the November midterm elections, where Trump’s Republican Party will face the challenge of his abysmal job approval ratings as it strives to maintain control of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Despite increasing criticism of the war on Iran from some right-wing commentators and podcasters, Trump continues to receive nearly unanimous support from Republicans in Congress. However, the conflict has proven unpopular with US voters, including a significant segment of the Republican constituency. A Marquette Law School survey released last week showed that only 32 percent of voters approved of Trump’s handling of the war. While this figure rose to 65 percent among Republican respondents, it still highlighted considerable dissent within the party on the issue.
Separately, an Associated Press-NORC poll last week reported similar findings: Trump’s overall approval rating stood at 33 percent, support for the war at 32 percent, and his handling of the economy at 30 percent. The US and Iran had agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, which Trump later extended indefinitely, yet tensions in the region remain high.
Ongoing blockades in the Gulf—Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval siege on Iranian ports—have perpetuated global energy supply issues despite the truce. In the US, the average price of one gallon (3.8 liters) of gasoline is currently $4.17, a significant increase from less than $3 before the war. Nevertheless, Trump has expressed comfort with the status quo, repeatedly asserting that the Iranian economy is collapsing and that time is on his side.
“Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘State of Collapse,’” the US president wrote in a social media post on Tuesday. “They want us to ‘Open the Hormuz Strait,’ as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!)” It remains unclear how or why Iran, which is currently refusing direct negotiations with the US without the lifting of the naval blockade, would communicate to Trump that its economy is failing.
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