Trending Now - Republicans' Silent Struggles With Trump's Leadership
WHO:
President Donald Trump
David Smith, associate professor of politics and foreign policy at the US Studies Centre and the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney
Bruce Jentleson, political scientist
Steve Schmidt, Republican strategist and former advisor to President George W. Bush
Tucker Carlson, critic of the Iran war
Joe Rogan, influential figure among Trump’s 2024 support base
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
Marjorie Taylor Greene, political figure
WHAT:
Trump has initiated military action in Iran, which is historically unpopular.
No poll shows a majority of Americans supporting the Iran war; multiple polls indicate clear majorities against it.
A Gallup poll indicated that more Americans sympathized with Palestinians than Israelis for the first time this century.
The most recent Quinnipiac Poll showed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s approval rating at 37%.
Trump stated that a short-term increase in oil prices is “a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace.”
WHERE:
Iran
Gulf states
WHEN:
The war in Iran began in March 2026.
Barack Obama’s Libyan intervention began in 2011.
Trump’s letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was referenced as being written recently.
WHY:
Public support for war in the U.S. depends on the belief that the war has a legitimate purpose, such as ending aggression.
Trump’s actions are seen as an attempt to achieve regime change in Iran.
HOW:
Trump presented military buildup in the Persian Gulf as a high-pressure negotiating tactic.
The justification for the Iran war was framed as a response to Iran being an “imminent threat” to the U.S.
(UPDATED March 16, 2026 13:24 UTC)
Today, President Trump has initiated military action in Iran, a move that has historically faced significant unpopularity among Americans, with no polls indicating majority support for the conflict. Recent surveys, including a Gallup poll, show that for the first time this century, more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's approval rating sits at just 37 percent. Trump has characterized the short-term increase in oil prices as “a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” framing the military buildup in the Persian Gulf as a necessary response to what he describes as an imminent threat from Iran.