100 days into the war on Iran, Trump fails to rally US support

Sunday marks 100 days into the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran.

But as fighting and ceasefire negotiations continue to grind on, the conflict remains overwhelmingly unpopular among the US public, making it a political liability for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

Even before the war started, public opinion polls showed that most Americans opposed bombing Iran. When the fighting began, the numbers did not improve, with many US voters perceiving the war as unnecessary and detrimental to the country.

“What’s really clear is that few Americans think that this war with Iran serves American interests,” said Shibley Telhami, a professor of peace and development at the University of Maryland, who has conducted polling on the war.

The lack of public backing for the war is consequential, experts say, because it could weaken Trump politically at home.

Democrats are hoping to regain control of Congress in the midterm elections in November, which could derail Trump’s agenda for the rest of his presidency.

A University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll suggested on Thursday that only 16 percent of US voters think the US has won or is winning the war.

The findings show that the US public is not convinced by the president’s repeated claims of victory .