President Trump’s net approval rating has hit a new low in the latest Economist/YouGov poll, taken as he moved to involve the U.S. in conflict in the Middle East.
The poll, which was in the field when Trump announced that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, found Trump’s job performance 14 percentage points underwater, with 40 percent approval and 54 percent disapproval.
It’s the lowest net approval point of Trump’s second term, according to the pollster, and lower than his net approval during most of his first term.
Americans were more likely to disapprove than approve on a range of issues, from a negative 2 point net approval on national security to a negative 26 point net approval on inflation and prices. Approval for Trump’s handling of the conflict between Israel and Iran had an overall negative 17 point net score, down from negative 4 points the week prior.
But Trump’s announcement of U.S. strikes against Iran, which the president touted as a “very successful” operation, appear to have bolstered his support from Republicans on the issue.
Before the announcement, 57 percent of Republicans approved of Trump’s overall handling of the conflict between Israel and Iran, and roughly a third supported the idea of bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. Afterward, Republican approval of Trump’s handling jumped to 82 percent and support for bombing facilities climbed to 70 percent.
Across the aisle, the share of Democrats who said that the U.S. should not go after the facilities climbed from 56 percent to 74 percent before and after Trump’s announcement. Democratic leaders have been largely critical of Trump’s moves to strike the Iranian nuclear sites, with some suggesting the decision could be grounds for impeachment.
Trump announced a ceasefire Monday night between Israel and Iran, expressing confidence that the conflict would be a “12 day war” and that the pause in fighting would hold. The next day, he lamented that both adversaries appeared to have violated ceasefire terms with continued fighting — then he posted on his Truth Social account that the ceasefire was still in effect.
Trump was en route to the NATO summit in The Hague on Tuesday, with the Israel-Iran conflict set to take center stage amid discussions with world leaders.
The new polling also found a “major split” among Republicans with regard to how the U.S. should approach global affairs, according to a release.
Just less than half, or 48 percent, want the U.S. to “take an active part” in world affairs, while 31 percent said they want the country to stay out. Three-quarters of Republicans who said they want the U.S. to be active in world affairs said the U.S. should bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, compared to 35 percent of more isolationist Republicans who said the same.
The poll was conducted June 20-23 among 1,590 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. About a third of respondents began taking the survey before Trump announced U.S. strikes in Iran, and 63 percent began after the announcement.