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Nearly seven months into the war with Iran, a new Fox News national survey shows American voters growing more critical of the conflict, with a majority now saying the decision to take military action was wrong and a growing share believing the war will leave the United States less safe.
The findings come as President Donald Trump said Sunday he would be open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at this week's United Nations General Assembly.
According to the Fox News Poll, seven in 10 voters believe the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the conflict, a view shared by 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents and 43% of Republicans.
The survey also found that 47% of voters now think the conflict will make the United States less safe in the long run, up from 39% in April. By comparison, 32% believe it will make the country safer and 20% see no difference. The increase in concern was largest among white voters, voters under 45 and independents.
Sixty percent of voters said the U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, compared with 37% who called it right, a 23-point gap that has grown from 17 points in June, when the split stood at 58% to 41%. The shift against the war was most pronounced among Hispanic voters, voters under 30, moderates and voters 65 and older.
Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll alongside Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, said the pattern departs from the usual dynamic in wartime.
"Typically, the public rallies around the president in response to a foreign policy crisis," Shaw said, adding that two factors have set this conflict apart: "President Trump hasn't consistently and forcefully made the case for the war, and the U.S. doesn't have boots on the ground. Both of those things matter for public opinion."
The poll put Trump's overall job approval at 39%, against 61% disapproval. On foreign policy specifically, his rating is underwater by 24 points, with 37% approval, a second-term low that sits just one point above his first-term low of 36%, recorded in September 2019.
Despite the war's toll on his approval numbers, the poll suggests it is not top of mind for most voters. Asked in their own words to name the most important issue facing the country, only 4% cited Iran and just 1% named foreign policy generally. Cost of living topped the list at 34%.
Asked about the UN General Assembly's high-level week, which opens Monday, Trump signaled openness to diplomacy, saying he would "probably be open" to meeting with Pezeshkian. The remark came as Trump told Fox News he has entered a critical decision phase on the war, though he did not elaborate further on plans for direct talks.
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