61% Of Americans See Trump's Iran War As 'Mistake': New Poll

Trump's war in Iran is unique in history in that it never enjoyed even a moment of consensus support. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll just days after the opening salvo of what the Trump administration dubbed“Operation Epic Fury,” just 27% said they approved of the strikes, which killed 555 Iranians including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other top Iranian officials.

At that point, 43% of Americans already said they disapproved of the strikes, far eclipsing Iraq and Vietnam. But 30% still said they had not yet made up their minds.

In the coming months, they would. It was revealed that an airstrike on a school, which killed at least 155 people, including 120 children, was a double-tap attack by the United States.

Iran retaliated by blocking oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which sent US gas prices hurtling above $4 per gallon.

And Trump took on an increasingly erratic and at times what many critics termed an outright genocidal posture toward Iran that made any peaceful resolution appear increasingly impossible, even with the current fragile ceasefire.

Friday's poll shows that while the war still maintains a core base of support – 36% of Americans who say it was the right decision, nearly all of them Republicans – that base is dwarfed by the 61% who say it was a mistake.

Majorities of respondents across all demographics show that they believe the war has increased the risks of“terrorism against Americans” (61%), of“the US economy going into a recession” (60%) and of“weakening relationships with US allies” (56%).

Looking beneath the surface shows an even more worrying sign for Trump: The war has almost no constituency outside of his biggest fans. Self-identified Democrats (91%) overwhelmingly say the war was a mistake. But 71% of independents – many of whom were undecided at the war's outset – now disapprove too, with just 24% in support.

Even within the GOP, there is a decisive split: 86% of those who self-identify as“MAGA Republicans” are still baying for blood. But“non-MAGA Republicans” have grown uncertain – 50% still say war was the right decision, while 49% say it was a mistake.

They were particularly rattled by Trump's threat last month that“a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran should fail to negotiate a deal to his liking. The threat was too much even for the majority of Republicans, 53% of whom said they viewed it negatively.

What remains to be seen is whether even Trump's most faithful backers will turn against the war as it drags on. If Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's appearance in Congress on Thursday is any guide, the country may soon find out.