Only a third of the public believes President Donald Trump has a clear plan for handling the situation in Iran, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, underscoring deep skepticism ahead of his Wednesday night speech at the White House on the war.
Americans’ already widespread disapproval of US military action in Iran has increased since the start of the war, the poll found. Only 34% of Americans now say they at least partially approve of the US decision to take military action in Iran, 7 points lower than a CNN poll taken just after the start of the war. Disapproval has risen to 66%, with strong opposition rising 12 points to 43%.
Now that a growing share of the public views a long-term military conflict between the United States and Iran as at least somewhat likely, most Americans are wary of deeper involvement. A majority of 71% say they would oppose Congress authorizing spending $200 billion to fund new U.S. military action in Iran, as the Pentagon has proposed. A similar 68% oppose sending ground troops to Iran.
Democrats and independents remain broadly opposed to the United States deploying ground troops, but Republicans are also narrowly opposed to the idea. Even Republicans who identify as part of the “Make America Great Again” movement lean against ground troops: 32% oppose the idea, while 25% favor it. Among non-MAGA Republicans, 56% are opposed and 20% are in favor.
Trump’s approval rating for handling the situation in Iran stands at 33%, just below his 35% overall approval rating and his 36% approval rating on foreign policy. And 33% now say they approve of his handling of the role of commander in chief. That’s 8 points lower than a January poll taken immediately after US military action in Venezuela and 5 points below his previous presidential low. About 6 in 10 say he has gone too far in trying to expand U.S. power over other countries, something that has changed little since January.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is doing slightly better than the president, with a job approval rating of 41%, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s approval rating is 35%.
Opinions on the Iran war remain sharply divided, though not symmetrically, along partisan lines: 94% of Democrats and 74% of independents disapprove of military action in Iran, while 28% of Republicans disapprove.
While Democrats are nearly unanimous in their opposition, the poll shows greater division within the Republican Party.
Republicans over 45 are more than twice as likely as younger Republicans to say they Strongly approve of Trump’s decision to take military action.
While some prominent MAGA voices have criticized the Iran war, that divide is less evident among the general public, where those who identify as MAGA remain Trump’s staunchest supporters. Instead, among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, the gap is between the MAGA movement and everyone else. Those who describe themselves as members of the MAGA movement are 40 points more likely than others aligned with the Republican Party to believe that Trump has a clear plan to handle Iran and 27 points more likely to strongly approve of the decision to take military action.
Behind Americans’ reluctance to consider committing more funds or troops is a broader skepticism about whether the conflict is worth it. When asked if the war in Iran has been worth American lives and the financial burden on the government, only 29% say yes.
This is a stark contrast to similar surveys conducted in the early days of the Iraq war. Just after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, 59% of American adults said the war had been worth American lives and other costs, according to a CNN/Time poll. While that consensus faded in the months that followed, that figure was still higher a year later than the share of the public that now says the Iran war was worth it.
Concerns about the costs of war, financial and otherwise, arise against a backdrop of growing economic concerns in the country.
Most Americans say they follow news about the situation in Iran at least somewhat closely. And when asked in an open-ended question what the most important issue facing the United States was, 13% mentioned the Iran war, a remarkably high percentage for anything related to foreign policy. But that figure is still far behind the 40% who mentioned economic issues.
For some, the two issues are interrelated.
“We are involved in a war we shouldn’t be and the economy is collapsing,” wrote one woman who conducted the survey, a Republican from Idaho.
This story and headline have been updated.