President Donald Trump is facing fresh political blowback after a new poll found many Americans are deeply skeptical of his reasons for launching the war with Iran.
The latest CBS News/YouGov survey, conducted between March 17-20 among 3,335 U.S. adults, shows that most Americans view the war with Iran as a conflict the U.S. chose rather than one it had to fight.
In the survey, 66 percent called it a war of choice, while just 34 percent said it was a war of necessity.
The poll also found broad confusion about what Trump is trying to achieve. Fully 68 percent said the administration has not adequately explained its goals.
Since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, Trump has repeatedly offered conflicting explanations for the military action.
At first, he framed the strikes as a blow against Iran’s nuclear ambitions and said they could help bring about a leadership change in Tehran. But as events developed, his explanation began to shift. Within days, he was recasting the military action as a preventive move designed to shield the United States and its allies from possible Iranian retaliation.
His timeline for the conflict also grew increasingly muddled. Early on, Trump said the fighting could continue for “four weeks or so.” Not long after, though, he claimed the campaign was “very complete, pretty much,” before later walking that back and saying the war would not be over that week, though it would end “very soon.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has asked Congress to sign off on another $200 billion for the Iran conflict, a massive funding request that appears at odds with Trump’s repeated claims that the war is nearly over. The administration is also reportedly considering sending additional air and naval assets to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and keep the vital shipping lane open.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, said the staggering emergency request undercuts the White House’s message that the fighting is winding down. In his view, the size of the proposed war package points to an administration that still lacks a clear strategy for ending the conflict.
“At the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war,” Gallego posted on X.
The uncertainty appears to be feeding growing opposition to the conflict. Sixty percent now disapprove of the war, according to CBS, a four-point increase from earlier this month.
The public is also deeply uneasy about where the conflict is headed: 57 percent said the war, which has seen 13 U.S. service members killed, is going very or somewhat badly for the United States, while 92 percent said they want it brought to an end as soon as possible.
Americans also are not sold on Trump’s argument that the war will ultimately make the country stronger or safer. CBS found that 42 percent believe the conflict will make the U.S. less safe over the long term, more than the share who think it will improve national security or have no real effect.
On the economy, the most common view was similarly gloomy, with 33 percent saying the war, which has already seen oil and gas prices explode, will leave the U.S. economy weaker in the long run.
Despite the polls, the White House has claimed there is public backing for the war.
“A majority of Americans support President Trump’s decisive action against a terrorist regime that has killed and maimed thousands of Americans for nearly 50 years under the evil hand of the Ayatollah,” a White House spokesperson previously told the Daily Beast.
“The President has always been clear that Iran, the world’s number one sponsor of terror, can never obtain a nuclear weapon, and his actions now will make America—and the world—a safer place.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
