President Trump’s disapproval rating hit its highest rating across both of his terms, according to a new Fox News poll.
The survey, released Wednesday, found that 59 percent of registered voters do not approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency, with 47 percent who say they strongly disapprove. Another 41 percent said the opposite, with roughly half of that number, 22 percent, saying they strongly approve of his job performance.
Trump’s highest disapproval during his second term came in November, when it reached 58 percent. His highest disapproval rating during his first term was 57 percent in October 2017, according to the pollsters.
Respondents also largely disapprove of Trump’s foreign policy agenda, with 62 percent who disapprove overall and 64 percent who specifically said they do not approve of his handling of the conflict with Iran.
These are also high compared to polling from his first term, when his highest disapproval rating on foreign policy was 56 percent in October 2019 and January 2020, respectively. Disapproval for Trump’s policies around Iran during his first term peaked at 55 percent in October 2017.
Fox News’s latest polling also shows that more than half, 58 percent, of registered voters oppose the U.S. military operation in Iran. Roughly 37 percent said they “strongly” oppose it.
Another 42 percent of respondents said they back the U.S. military’s action in the Middle East, though with a lesser share of voters who say they strongly support it, at 20 percent, compared to 22 percent who say they somewhat support it, according to the survey.
Other recent polling shows the president’s approval rating has sunk since the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury alongside Israel late last month. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday shows his approval rating at 36 percent, with 62 percent who say they disapprove of his job performance.
That poll additionally shows that 52 percent of respondents think the U.S.’s actions in Iran are not going well, compared to 47 percent who say the opposite. About 44 percent of respondents also said the military action in Iran will make the U.S. less safe, compared to 33 percent who said it is making the U.S. safer.
The U.S. and Iran have hardened their positions amid potential ceasefire negotiations. Both sides have issued peace plans, with Iran rejecting Trump‘s 15-point plan from the U.S. in favor of its own. The plan asserts Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, calls for reparations for itself and calls for an end to all hostilities.
Trump demanded that Iran’s negotiators must “get serious soon,” otherwise “there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”
The Fox News survey was conducted March 20-23 and included 1,001 respondents. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
