--- title: "Americans remain critical of Trump administration’s approach to Iran" description: "62% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the military action against Iran, and 59% say the U.S. made the wrong decision in using military force." date: "2026-05-01" authors: - name: "Andrew Daniller" job_title: "Research Associate" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andrew-daniller/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/05/01/americans-remain-critical-of-trump-administrations-approach-to-iran/" categories: - "Defense & National Security" - "Partisanship & Issues" - "Political Issues" - "War & International Conflict" - "War & International Conflict" --- # Americans remain critical of Trump administration’s approach to Iran ![The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln conducts U.S. blockade operations in the Arabian Sea on April 16, 2026. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/SR_26.04.30_trump-iran_featured.jpg?w=640) *The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln conducts U.S. blockade operations in the Arabian Sea on April 16, 2026. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)* Two months into the U.S. military conflict with Iran, Americans continue to express significant doubts about how President Donald Trump and his administration are handling the situation. [![A stacked bar chart showing that most U.S. adults disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran conflict; about half say the administration’s goals are unclear.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/SR_26.04.30_trump-iran_1.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=301166) About six-in-ten Americans (62%) disapprove of Trump’s handling of the military action against Iran, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. That includes 45% who *strongly* disapprove. Just over a third (36%) approve. These views have held steady [since March](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/03/25/americans-broadly-disapprove-of-u-s-military-action-in-iran/), when 61% disapproved of Trump’s handling of the conflict and 37% approved. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) say that the U.S. made the wrong decision in using military force in Iran, while 38% say this was the right decision. This is also unchanged from the March survey. However, the share of Americans who say the military action is going not too or not at all well has ticked up. Today, 51% say it’s not going well, compared with 45% a month ago. Roughly two-in-ten (22%) say the military action is going extremely or very well. **About this research** This Pew Research Center analysis looks at Americans’ views of the U.S. military action against Iran about two months into the conflict and how they’ve changed over the past month. #### Why did we do this? Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. We have studied Americans’ views of [politics and major policy issues](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/politics-policy/), including the use of U.S. military force, for decades. Learn more [about Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/about/). #### How did we do this? We surveyed 5,103 U.S. adults from April 20 to 26, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population. Here are the [survey questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PP_2026.5.1_Trump-approval_questionnaire.pdf), the [detailed responses](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PP_2026.5.1_Trump-approval_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/05/01/trump-approval-may-2026-methodology/). The new survey, conducted April 20-26 among 5,103 U.S. adults, also finds that much of the public is uncertain about the Trump administration’s goals in the conflict: - 48% say the administration’s goals are not too or not at all clear. - Half as many (24%) say its goals are extremely or very clear. - 15% say its goals are somewhat clear, while 12% are not sure. The balance of opinion is similarly skeptical when it comes to whether the administration will achieve its goals in the conflict with Iran. About half of Americans (49%) say they are not too or not at all confident about this, while 22% are extremely or very confident. ***Related:**** [Trump Loses Ground on Several Personal Traits as Approval Rating Slips](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/05/01/trump-loses-ground-on-several-personal-traits-as-approval-rating-slips/)* ### Partisan views of the conflict with Iran Republicans and Democrats remain far apart in their views of how the conflict with Iran is going and how well Trump is handling the situation. #### How well is the military action going? [![A stacked bar chart showing that views of how U.S. military action in Iran is going have become slightly more negative over the last month.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/SR_26.04.30_trump-iran_2.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=301167) Both Republicans and Democrats are slightly more likely now than they were in March to say the U.S. military action is not going well. Yet Democrats remain roughly three times as likely as Republicans to say it’s going not too or not at all well (76% vs. 26%). Even so, Republicans are not overwhelmingly positive. Roughly four-in-ten (43%) say the military action against Iran is going extremely or very well. #### Evaluations of Trump’s handling of the conflict While two-thirds of Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran, nearly a third (32%) disapprove. [![A bar chart showing a wide partisan gaps over Trump’s approach to Iran, though Republicans are more divided than Democrats.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/SR_26.04.30_trump-iran_3.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=301168) By comparison, nine-in-ten Democrats disapprove of Trump’s handling of the conflict, and just 9% approve. Democrats are about twice as likely to *strongly* *disapprove* (76%) as Republicans are to *strongly* *approve* (36%). #### How clear are the administration’s goals? When it comes to how clear the Trump administration’s goals in the conflict are, 73% of Democrats say they are not too or not at all clear. Just 16% say they are at least somewhat clear. Republicans offer more mixed assessments: 45% say the administration’s goals are extremely or very clear, 20% say they are somewhat clear, and 23% say they are not too or not at all clear. *Note: Here are the [survey questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PP_2026.5.1_Trump-approval_questionnaire.pdf), the [detailed responses](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PP_2026.5.1_Trump-approval_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/05/01/trump-approval-may-2026-methodology/).*