The president stated he pays no mind to public opinion surveys as he defended the new Middle East war
US President Donald Trump has brushed off polls showing a majority of Americans disagree with his decision to attack Iran.
A CNN poll finds 60% of Americans do not support the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran from Saturday, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows only one in four Americans approves of the attack.
“I think the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling. I’ve got to do the right thing. I’ve got to do the right thing. This should’ve been done a long time ago,” Trump told the New York Post in an interview published Monday.
“Look, whether polling is low or not, I think the polling is probably fine. But it’s not about polling. You can’t let Iran— a nation run by crazy people— have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, claiming that “a real poll” would show Americans support his actions.
The president has argued the strikes— dubbed Operation Epic Fury— were necessary to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. He also called on ordinary Iranians to overthrow their government.
Most Democrats and some Republicans have condemned the strikes as dangerous and unjustified. Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries accused Trump of launching “another endless war in the Middle East.”
Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, said the war contradicts Trump’s “America First” campaign slogan.