Most Americans Blame Trump For Rising Gas Prices Amid War With Iran Approval Rating Crashes, Polls Show

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Public dissatisfaction with US President Donald Trump has reached an all-time high during his second term, with the latest polling average from The New York Times showing a clear majority of Americans unhappy with his performance.

According to the NYT report, this is the highest disapproval rating that Trump has faced since the end of his first term in 2020, in the aftermath of his re-election campaign loss and the January 6 US Capitol attack.

Gas prices up in the US due to the Iran war

Weakening poll numbers against Trump come at a time when the US-Iran war has pushed gas prices higher in the US, with a growing number of Americans now expressing concerns regarding the economy. Similar findings have been drawn from a Reuters/Ipsos

poll, which was released on Friday, in which a clear majority of Americans are blaming Trump for higher gas prices, a move that is weighing on his Republican Party ahead of November's congressional midterm elections.

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Roughly 77 per cent of the registered voters in the poll, which concluded earlier this week, said that the US President bears at least a fair amount of responsibility for the recent increase in gas prices, a move that was sparked by his decision to wage a war with Israel against Iran.

Trump's rating dips

In a Marquette University Law School poll conducted last week, Trump's rating among political independents has dropped to 28 per cent. It is down from 39 per cent when he took office. Among Republicans, the US President also lost some ground. However, the vast majority of Republicans, nearly 80 per cent, still approve of his job performance.

As of Thursday, the Times polling average indicates that overall, Trump's net approval rating, the gap between those who approve and those who do not, stood at minus 19 percentage points.

Concerns about the US economy grow

Concerns regarding the US economy are now growing, with seven in 10 voters saying that the economy is getting worse for them and their families. This number is up from 55 per cent just a year ago in a recent Fox News poll. Separately, economic anxiety has also seen a sharp uptick within Trump's base. Nearly half of Republicans now say the economy is getting worse, double the share who said the same last April.

This comes as Trump's approval on the economy stands at 34 per cent, and his approval on handling inflation is at just 28 per cent. It is worth noting that voters are far more likely to approve of his stance on immigration and the border. Nearly half of all voters, 46 per cent, approve of Trump's immigration policy.

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According to a YouGov poll, the majority of Americans continue to oppose the US's war with Iran, along with disapproving of Trump's handling of the situation. Most Americans say Washington should try to make a deal to end the war as quickly as possible, even though few think the US and Iran will reach an agreement in the next two weeks.

While 58 per cent of Americans oppose the war, only 31 per cent approve of it. Roughly 55 per cent of Americans also somewhat or strongly disapprove of the way Trump is handling the situation in Iran. Only 34 per cent approve of Trump's handling. That's about the same as last week.

US and Israel's war in Iran

The US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury and Rising Lion in late February against Iran, targeting key military leaders. Since late February, the conflict escalated and dragged on for six weeks, after which a two-week ceasefire was announced. While the two sides came to negotiate in Pakistan's Islamabad to reach an agreement, the first round of talks failed, with the US imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, whereas the Islamic Republic continued to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and later denied engaging in a second round of talks with Washington, citing the naval blockade as the primary reason.

Key Takeaways

Public disapproval of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict is at an all-time high. The rising gas prices due to the war are significantly impacting Trump's approval ratings. Concerns about the economy are escalating among voters, particularly within Trump's own party.

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