Recent polling found that Americans are generally supportive of Israel taking military action against Iran.
But when asked if the U.S. should get involved – support was much lower.
President Donald Trump closed out Wednesday huddling with top advisers in the White House Situation Room as he mulls whether the U.S. should support Israel militarily in a war that has now lasted six nights.
A top issue is whether he’d deploy U.S. forces to take out the Iranian’s Fordow nuclear facility.
A new Reagan Institute survey of 1,257 U.S. adults conducted from late May to early June – prior to Israel’s decision on Thursday to start dropping bombs on Tehran and Iranian nuclear sites – found that 45 percent supported Israel conducting those types of airstrikes.
Another 37 percent were against Israel taking such an action.
Breaking it down by party, 60 percent of Republicans were for Israel taking military action, joined by 35 percent of independents and 32 percent of Democrats.
Democrats were more likely to be against Israel taking military action, with 51 percent of those left-leaning adults expressing that opinion.
President Donald Trump is mulling whether to join the Israelis in the current war with Iran. Recent polls show that Americans generally support Israel striking Iran alone, but are not supportive of the U.S. joining in
Independents were more closely aligned with Republicans on the question, with 33 percent of independents saying they were against Israeli military strikes, joined by 27 percent of Republicans.
An Economist/YouGov poll conducted June 13-16 – after Israel had started bombing – asked the question of U.S. involvement.
That poll of 1,512 U.S. adults found that 60 percent were against the U.S. getting involved in the current fight between Israel and Iran.
Just 16 percent of respondents answered yet.
Another 24 percent said they were unsure.
Republicans were more likely to answer yet, with 23 percent saying so.
Fifteen percent of Democrats answered no, as did 11 percent of independents – who could be a crucial voting bloc in the midterm elections.
More than half of Republicans – 53 percent – answered no to the question.
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran on Wednesday amid the sixth day of the war between Israel and Iran as Israel tries to destroy Iran’s nuclear program
Smoke billows near the Red Crescent building in Tehran, Iran on Wednesday after an Israeli airstrike hit a location adjacent to the facility
Slicing the demographics a slightly different way, the poll found that just 19 percent of Trump’s own voters favored U.S. military involvement in the current conflict.
Another 53 percent of Trump’s voters said no to joining forces with Israel, a longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East, but whose war in Gaza and killing of civilians has led to widespread protests.
During events at the White House Wednesday, Trump scoffed at the idea that some of his MAGA base could be persuaded by loud voices like Tucker Carlson against engaging with Iran.
‘My supporters are more in love with me today than they were even at the election,’ he said at an event in the South Lawn as he was erecting a new large flag pole.
Later in the Oval Office, he told the press that he hadn’t made a decision yet on whether to get involved.
‘I’ve been asked about it by everybody but I haven’t made a decision,’ he said.
