President Donald Trump's handling of the Iran war is drawing less intense support from Republican voters, according to a new NBC News Decision Desk poll, even as overall GOP approval of the president remains high less than two months before the midterm elections. The survey found that the share of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump's handling of the war has fallen sharply since the spring. While Trump's overall approval rating on the conflict was largely unchanged, the enthusiasm behind that support appears to be weakening.
The findings arrive as the U.S. and Iran remain locked in a volatile standoff despite a June agreement intended to ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. In recent weeks, both sides have exchanged military actions, raising questions about whether the conflict is entering a prolonged new phase rather than winding down. Newsweek reached out to the White House on Sunday.
According to NBC's poll, 31 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the Iran war while 69 percent disapprove, figures that have changed little from spring polling. But beneath those topline numbers, NBC found a notable shift among Republican voters. The share of Republicans who say they strongly approve of Trump's handling of the conflict dropped 18 percentage points since the spring and now stands at 30 percent, according to the survey.
Among self-identified MAGA Republicans, strong approval fell by 21 points. The same pattern appeared in views of Trump's presidency overall. NBC found that the percentage of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump's job performance fell from 52 percent in the spring to 41 percent in the latest survey, the first time that figure has slipped below 50 percent in NBC News Decision Desk polling.
Overall Republican support remains robust. Eighty percent of Republicans still approve of Trump's job performance. The poll surveyed 7,105 adults online from August 20 to September 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
The Iran conflict has remained one of Trump's weakest issues with voters. An -NORC poll released in June found that just 34 percent of Americans approved of Trump's handling of Iran, while 65 percent disapproved. Fifty-three percent of respondents said the conflict had "gone too far.” A Quinnipiac University survey released in July found only 34 percent of voters supported U.S. military action against Iran while 60 percent opposed it.
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