Trump has been under pressure since his administration and Israel launched a war against Iran in February that has pushed gasoline prices sharply higher [GETTY]
President Donald Trump’s approval rating held at its lowest level of his term in recent days, as many Americans questioned his temperament amid the war on Iran and a feud with Pope Leo, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The six-day public opinion poll, concluded on Monday, showed only 36 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, unchanged from a month earlier. Trump enjoyed the highest approval rating of his current term, 47 percent, shortly after he was sworn in to office on 20 January 2025.
Trump has been under pressure since his administration and Israel launched a war against Iran in February that has pushed gasoline prices sharply higher.
Some 36 percent of Americans approve of US military strikes against Iran, compared with 35 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted 10-12 April. The latest poll of 4,557 US adults nationwide, conducted online, had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
The poll showed many Americans, including some members of Trump’s Republican Party, have some concerns about the 79-year-old president’s temperament and mental sharpness following a series of explosive outbursts.
Only 26 percent of Americans said they consider Trump “even-tempered”. Republicans were divided on this question, with 53 percent considering him to be so and 46 percent saying he is not, while a handful declined to answer the question. Only 7 percent of Democrats saw Trump as even-tempered.
Trump’s profane threats
Trump has exhibited agitation in recent weeks, posting a threat on social media to wipe out Iran’s civilisation while also attacking Pope Leo as weak on crime following the pontiff’s criticism of the Iran war. Trump has threatened, even profanely, to destroy all of Iran’s bridges and power plants.
He alarmed allies earlier this year by threatening military force against NATO ally Denmark over his demand for the US annexation of Greenland.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted during a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US that was due to expire on Tuesday.
Some 51 percent of Americans, including 14 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents and 85 percent of Democrats, said Trump’s mental sharpness had gotten “worse” over the past year.
Trump blasts Pope
Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo have drawn attention in part because Americans have a generally higher opinion of the pontiff than they do of the president. Some 60 percent of respondents said they had a favourable view of Pope Leo, compared with 36 percent who said the same of Trump.
They also viewed the Pope more favourably than prominent Democrats, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The poll found only 16 percent of Americans back a US exit from the NATO alliance, a move Trump has threatened.
The war with Iran triggered a surge in gasoline prices that has hit most Americans’ personal finances. Trump’s approval rating on his handling of the cost of living in the United States was 26 percent, tied for the lowest reading yet for him. Similarly, only 26 percent of respondents in the poll said the US military action in Iran has been worth its costs.
Only 25 percent of respondents, including 6 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans, said they thought US strikes on Iran would make America safer.
