Americans doubt – A Reuters/Ipsos poll found fewer than one in four Americans say President Donald Trump’s war with Iran was worth the costs, while majorities doubt a truce signed in June 2026 will bring lasting peace. The survey also shows Trump’s approval sliding—an added str
When President Donald Trump signed a preliminary deal with Iran on June 17. reopening frozen oil and gas shipping lanes and easing U.S.-led economic pressure. it looked like a turn toward calm. But in the country the president must govern—where public mood can move elections as surely as policy—confidence did not follow.
Just one in four Americans, the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll found, believes Trump’s war with Iran was worth its costs. Only 24% say the conflict was worth the price, while half of respondents say it was not worth it and the rest are unsure.
More Americans are uneasy about what comes next. The poll found 63% think it is unlikely the deal will lead to lasting peace between the two countries. About half of Republicans and eight in 10 Democrats said the deal was unlikely to deliver peace. Just 18% of Americans—10% of Democrats and 34% of Republicans—see lasting peace as likely.
The poll results arrive as the war’s economic and political residue presses into daily life. Americans who may not follow every diplomatic detail still feel the bill.
The June 17 agreement has led to a rapid drop in global crude oil prices. For most Americans. though. gasoline remains “considerably higher than it was before the February 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes that started the war.” Iran’s initial response included strikes that shut down a fifth of the global oil trade and damaged energy facilities of U.S. regional allies.
The survey also captured a stark judgment about whether the war improved the U.S. position. Only 23% of Americans—including just half of Republicans—think the U.S. is now in a stronger position with Iran than it was before the war. Some 35% say the U.S. is in a weaker position. The rest were either not sure or said the position is about the same.
Trump’s political footing appears to be slipping alongside those doubts. The poll, which ran for five days and closed on Monday, found his approval rating fell to 34%. That is a return to the lowest level of his second term, last touched in an April survey.
It is not just foreign policy skepticism weighing on him. The poll showed his approval on the cost of living at 22%. near the lowest level of his presidency and below where President Joe Biden stood at the end of his term. On immigration. Trump received the weakest approval of his term as well. with just 37% of Americans approving of how he has handled it—down from 40% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll.
His record on immigration has been shaped by aggressive efforts to deport people in the country illegally. including deadly confrontations with pro-immigration activists. In the same period. his overall approval. which began his current term at 47%. fell amid high inflation and the fallout from those controversies.
The timing makes this poll feel unusually urgent. With November 3 midterm elections approaching, Republicans will defend their congressional majorities at a moment when independents appear unconvinced.
In the poll, just 17% of independent registered voters said they would vote for the Republican in their district if the election were held today, compared with 34% who said they would pick the Democrat.
The survey also showed a party divide over what happens after the deal—suggesting that even when leaders sign papers, voters still decide whether the gamble was worth it. Half of poll respondents said the conflict was not worth it, and 63% said the truce is unlikely to last.
Responses were collected from 1,262 U.S. adults nationwide, and the poll’s results had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.
United States politics Trump Iran war Iran truce Masoud Pezeshkian June 17 deal oil and gas shipping lanes gasoline prices Reuters/Ipsos poll midterm elections November 3 immigration approval cost of living approval
Sounds like people don’t trust him. Not shocking.
Wait so they signed some kind of deal and everyone still thinks it wont work? Kinda feel like this was obvious from the start, but I guess the poll proves it. Also gas is still high??
I don’t get how “oil prices dropped” but my tank didn’t. Reuters says one thing and my wallet says another. Plus “truce” sounds like a pause, not peace, so 63% unlikely makes sense. I’m confused though—aren’t deals supposed to lower costs right away?
Half the country thinks it’s not worth the costs and Trump approval is sliding… okay, but it depends on what numbers they’re using. Like, if Iran agreed to reopen shipping lanes then why are we acting like it failed already? I saw something that gas is higher than before the strikes, so maybe the whole thing was just to protect Israel or something. Also 10% Democrats and 34% Republicans thinking peace is likely??? that’s wild, I bet those “likely” people just want an outcome period, not actual peace.