Pew poll finds 65 percent of Americans dissatisfied with Trump's handling of Iran conflict

Public dissatisfaction in the United States over the military confrontation with Iran has grown into a domestic political challenge, according to a report by Mehr News. The outlet said the conflict has increased economic pressure on American citizens and could affect the political standing of Republicans ahead of congressional midterm elections. Recent polling indicates that a majority of Americans are unhappy with how President Donald Trump has handled the crisis, and skepticism has grown about Washington's ability to achieve its stated objectives.

A Pew Research Center poll released on October 8, 2026, found that 65 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with Trump's management of US military action against Iran, while 33 percent approve. The survey of 5,062 American adults was conducted between September 28 and October 4. In a March poll, 61 percent were dissatisfied and 37 percent approved, indicating a rise in dissatisfaction and a decline in support over several months. Only 34 percent of Americans said the initial decision to use military force was the right one, a four-percentage-point decrease from March. The same poll found that 52 percent have little or no confidence that the administration will achieve its goals in the confrontation, compared with 24 percent who expressed a great deal or fair amount of confidence. Forty-seven percent expected US military action to continue for more than another year, and 30 percent expected it to last between six months and a year, meaning about 77 percent anticipated the conflict would persist for at least another six months.

Economic and security concerns featured prominently in the survey. Seventy-three percent of Americans said they were very or somewhat concerned about rising gasoline and fuel prices resulting from the conflict, 71 percent expressed concern about the injury or death of American troops, and 58 percent said they were concerned about the deployment of US ground forces to Iran. The report said these figures show that public assessments are shaped not only by military developments but also by energy costs, the potential spread of the conflict and the risk of casualties.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a critic of the administration's military policies, has criticized the approach toward Iran. In a Senate floor speech on September 24, he criticized Republicans for opposing a resolution to end the conflict and said that, according to data he cited, only 18 percent of the American public supports it. He urged Congress to heed citizens' calls to bring the conflict to an end and warned of security and economic repercussions as well as risks to American troops. Murphy said the government must weigh not only stated military objectives but also the costs imposed on citizens, military personnel and national security interests.

The report said the decline in support is not confined to Trump's political opponents. According to Pew, his approval rating among Republicans and Republican leaners fell from 69 percent in March to 63 percent in October, a six-percentage-point drop that may signal growing reservations within part of his base. Negative views among Democrats remained virtually unchanged. The report said the conflict has become an issue that extends beyond foreign policy, with economic costs, troop safety concerns and skepticism about stated goals intensifying domestic pressure on the administration. It added that the extent to which the issue influences the midterm elections will depend on future developments, the state of the economy and how the administration manages the situation in the coming months, according to Mehr News.