Trump approval rating falls to 35%
According to a poll conducted on May 6 by CNN, only 35% of respondents approve of Donald Trump’s performance as president. Another 63% disapprove.
This is one of the lowest approval ratings recorded in polling history. Only two of the most unpopular presidents, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush, posted lower figures. But while they reached such numbers only near the end of their terms, Trump has done so in less than a year and a half.
Iran campaign weighs on Trump approval rating
The main reason for the fall in Trump’s rating is the military adventure in Iran, which has already alienated several of his well-known supporters and hit ordinary Americans’ wallets hard.
Gasoline prices in the United States have already passed $4.50 per gallon, while in California they have exceeded $6. Such prices have put the economy at risk of recession.
The military campaign against an opponent that had seemed clearly weaker did not become a “short victorious war”. Instead, critics say, it has turned into an open failure. Conditions for the United States in the region are now worse than before the campaign began.
Even long-standing allies such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar are distancing themselves from Washington. Their refusal to provide airspace for strikes on Iran forced Trump to scale back the newly announced Operation Freedom in humiliating fashion.
As a result, the terms of any possible ceasefire are likely to be worse for Trump than the 2015 Obama-era agreement he had recently criticised.
It is no longer possible to hide these failures behind confident rhetoric. The collapse in Trump approval rating is evidence of that.
