US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 33%, its lowest level of his current presidency, as a growing majority of Americans express concern that the war with Iran could become a prolonged conflict, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The online poll, conducted among 1,166 US adults, found that 64% disapproved of Trump’s performance, compared with 33% who approved. The result marks a decline from 35% approval recorded in an earlier Reuters/Ipsos survey in August.
The poll comes as the US-Iran conflict continues to weigh on Americans’ views of Trump’s handling of foreign policy. Eighty percent of respondents said they were worried that the war would drag on, while only 20% said the conflict was worth the human and economic costs.
The concern extends across party lines. About 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans said they believed US involvement in Iran would continue for a long time. Only 16% of respondents expected the conflict to end within a few weeks.
The findings represent a significant political challenge for Trump, who returned to the White House in January 2025 after campaigning on promises to curb inflation and avoid prolonged foreign wars. His approval rating had been around 50% shortly after his return to office.
Trump’s approval rating had previously fallen to about 33% during his first presidency in 2017, although Reuters noted that the reasons for dissatisfaction were different at that time.
The latest decline is particularly notable because Trump had previously argued that US military action against Iran would weaken Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and help bring the conflict to an end. However, the prolonged confrontation and continued disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have increased concerns over the economic and strategic costs of the war.
The poll also showed a shift in Americans’ views on economic policy. Thirty-eight percent said they preferred Democrats to handle the economy, compared with 35% who preferred Republicans, reversing the previous poll’s 40%-38% advantage for Republicans.
The findings suggest that the political impact of the Iran conflict is extending beyond foreign policy, as voters increasingly connect the war with economic uncertainty, energy disruptions and the prospect of a longer US military commitment.
For Trump, the poll highlights a growing gap between his administration’s stated goal of ending major conflicts quickly and the public’s expectation that US involvement in Iran could continue for months or longer.
