For years now, Americans have known that Iran posed a major threat to the United States, and both Democrats and Republicans have acknowledged this fact. Americans also don’t want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. So when President Donald Trump finally decided to do something about Iran, one would think people would be overwhelmingly thrilled. But that’s not what the polls say, and frankly, I think the polls are garbage.
It should come as no surprise that a fresh poll claims that Americans see President Trump's Iran push as a flop. The latest CBS News/YouGov survey, on the surface, screams trouble. It says 57% of Americans think the war's going badly for us, 63% predict a weaker economy in the short term, and 67% refuse to stomach higher gas bills. The poll even claims that Trump hasn’t been clear on the goals, and voters believe it's a "war of choice,” not a necessity.
But hold off on the panic button.
Now, I should point out that this poll dropped Sunday, right before Trump announced “very good and productive conversations" with Iran over the past two days, aimed at "complete and total resolution" in the Middle East. He even paused strikes on their power plants and energy grid for five days, which, of course, hinged on talks progressing well. Good news. Even better, oil prices plunged 13-15% on the buzz, markets betting on de-escalation. Sure, Iran denies direct chats, but between the pummeling Iran has received the past few weeks and the signs pointing to this war ending sooner than later, there’s little reason to believe things aren’t going well.
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The wording of the questions may also play a role in the results. The CBS poll asked questions like “Do you approve or disapprove of how Donald Trump handles Iran?" "So far, do you think the Trump administration has clearly explained what the U.S. goals are in taking military action against Iran, or haven't they done that yet?" and "How much confidence do you have in Donald Trump to make the right decisions regarding the U.S. military conflict with Iran?" That framing was no accident.
Let me explain.
A Washington Post poll shortly after the first strikes showed 39% support, 52% opposition. Weeks later? 42% back the "U.S. military campaign against Iran," 40% against, 17% unsure. Dead heat. What happened? The first poll included Trump’s name in the questions; the second did not, which may have muted the impact of the left’s anti-Trump reflex.
If you’ve been paying attention to the war in Iran, you know things are going relatively well for a war. The regime has been decimated, nuclear sites have been destroyed, and no boots on the ground yet… It’s going quite smoothly. But Trump Derangement Syndrome is compelling Democrats not to see the positives.
Even CNN’s Enten noted that Iran really isn’t the poll shifter that you’d think it would be.
"Despite all the hubbub, despite all the critics of the president of the United States, what we are seeing right now is a president whose approval rating is steady," Enten said last week, "This has been politically a big ball of nothing."
Why? Because it’s not the epic fail that the polls want us to believe it is.
