President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 33 percent in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, its lowest point yet, as the Iran war drags on without resolution and the economic fallout mounts heading into November’s midterm elections.
With Labor Day on September 7 traditionally marking the start of the campaign season, Republicans face the prospect that unresolved conflicts abroad and their economic consequences at home could cost the party its hold on one or both chambers of Congress. Trump’s agenda in the final two years of his presidency would be sharply curtailed under such a scenario.
Iran War at a Costly Standstill
Trump called off diplomatic talks with Tehran after weeks of pushing for a deal and announced on Wednesday a new campaign of “economic warfare” against the Islamic Republic, an apparent acknowledgment that months of military strikes have not forced the concessions Washington demands. At a South Carolina rally on Friday, the president dismissed the conflict as “a little detour” and quipped about bombing Iran “a little bit more.”
On the same evening, Iran’s chief of staff, Major General Ali Abdollahi, vowed that Tehran would respond to any new threats with “crushing, punishing and devastating responses.” The Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil flows, remains severely restricted, keeping American gas prices near four-year highs.
“US adversaries understand that his political clock is shorter than theirs, and that while the United States can apply enormous coercive pressure, it may eventually lose patience,” said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Putin, Xi and Iran may therefore want to wait out Washington.”
Stalled Diplomacy Across Multiple Fronts
The Iran impasse is only one piece of a broader foreign policy picture that has grown increasingly difficult for the White House. On Monday, Trump’s negotiator and son-in-law Jared Kushner returned empty-handed from Gaza peace talks. An expected visit to Kyiv by Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff to revive negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine has yet to materialize.
Trump did secure notable early wins, including a Gaza ceasefire and the capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro without U.S. casualties. Analysts say that operation may have contributed to the president’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran, which he expected to proceed with similar speed. “He is obsessed with applying coercion, and sometimes flattery, to bend others to his will, but oblivious to their strategic goals and domestic politics,” said Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly countered that Trump “has successfully made America respected again,” citing nine wars ended, hostages freed from Gaza and trade deals renegotiated.
“Trump has successfully challenged and disrupted the comfortable foreign policy consensus in Washington, but has not translated that disruption into a strategy with deliverables for Americans.” – Asli Aydintasbas, Brookings Institution
A senior administration official said U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade had left Iran “completely broke,” adding that “there are many levers the president can crank harder in the weeks ahead.” But analysts warn that the mounting costs, including rising borrowing prices and persistent inflation, could further erode public support before voters head to the polls.
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