TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A poll conducted by Reuters Ipsos just hours after the United States and Israel launched a major military operation against Iran and triggered regional retaliation shows very low approval of the attack from the American public.
The poll, conducted from Saturday to Sunday, before President Donald Trump's administration announced that the first US soldier had died in the conflict, revealed that only one in four respondents approved of the US-Israeli attack. As reported by Al Jazeera, only one in four respondents approved of the US-Israeli strikes.
These initial findings could significantly impact how the Trump administration moves forward in the coming days and how lawmakers respond to the attack, especially as they face a heavy midterm election season.
On Sunday, Trump pledged to continue what he called a "righteous mission" until "all goals are achieved." Referring to the three US military members announced dead on Sunday night, Trump said that "there will likely be more (US soldiers killed) before it ends."
Following the US-Israeli attack that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump once again portrayed Iran as an existential threat to the US, claiming that the country's leaders "have launched war against civilization itself."
The Reuters-Ipsos poll shows that the US public does not agree with that view, with 43 percent of respondents saying they do not approve of the war, and another 29 percent saying they are unsure.
Approval among Republican Party members is stronger, but not overwhelming, with 55 percent saying they approve of the attack, 13 percent disapproving, and 32 percent unsure.
Perhaps most significantly, about 42 percent of Republicans said they would be less supportive of the operation if it caused "US troops in the Middle East being killed or injured."
Around 74 percent of Democrats did not approve of the attack, with 7 percent approving and 19 percent unsure.
Election Looming Large
The poll released on Sunday comes as most Republican lawmakers have rallied around Trump's messaging on Iran, although contradictions with Trump's campaign promises risk alienating his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base.
Trump campaigned on promises to stop "endless wars" and halt US interventions abroad in a pivot to "America First."
Although Trump has shown a unique ability to shape the views of his most loyal supporters to his liking, some conservative commentators have warned that he is playing with fire.
"If this war is a swift, easy, and decisive victory, most of them will get over it," wrote Blake Neff, former producer of deceased conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in X on Saturday.
"But if the war is anything else, there will be a lot of anger."
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, said that the confirmation of US soldiers killed "brings home the cost of the war."
"Americans, by a very large margin, don’t want to be tied up in an ongoing conflict in the Middle East," he said in a television interview. "The fact that Americans have died suddenly shows this is not just a video game from the standpoint of America."
In addition to the three US military personnel killed, at least 201 have died in Iran, nine in Israel, two in Iraq, three in the United Arab Emirates, and one in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, 45 percent of Reuters-Ipsos poll respondents, including 34 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of independents, said they would be less supportive of a campaign against Iran if gas or oil prices rise in the US.
The conflict has threatened major trade routes, with some companies suspending shipments in the region.
Democrats will also closely watch public sentiment on the war, which is sure to overshadow the campaign season leading up to the November midterm elections.
The party has made affordability a key issue, with incumbents and new challengers alike portraying Trump's military adventures, which also include the US abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, as inconsistent with its messages.
Meanwhile, elected Democratic politicians have varied responses to the US operation against Iran, with at least one Democratic senator praising Trump's attack. Others celebrated Khamenei's death but remained more cautious about Trump's justification for the attack, while some openly condemned it.
Some Democratic lawmakers on Sunday said that the killing of US soldiers underscores the urgency to pass a war powers resolution, which would require approval from Congress before further military action is taken.
"I’m thinking of the brave American soldiers killed today," wrote Senator Chris Van Hollen, a supporter of the resolution, in X on Sunday. "They should still be with us."
"Trump said he would keep us out of war. This is his war of choice."
A vote on the resolution is expected early this week.
Read: US Confirms American Troops Killed, Wounded in Iran Clashes
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