Amid Fears of 'Imminent' Strike on Iran, Poll Shows US Public Opposes Trump Military Interventions
Just 8% of Americans want Trump to go further in using the military abroad. But they seem to be who he's listening to.
Just hours before a report on Wednesday that an attack on Iran by US President Donald Trump may be "imminent," a poll showed that a majority of Americans already believe the president has overstepped in using the US military to intervene in other countries.
Over the past two weeks, Trump has carried out an operation to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in order to "run" the country and hand its oil reserves to American companies, has said he may use the military to conquer Greenland and annex it for the US, and has made repeated threats to strike Iran as it cracks down ruthlessly on anti-government protests.
The survey of American adults by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 56% believe Trump has "gone too far" in using the military to intervene in other countries, while just 35% felt his approach has "been about right."
In Venezuela specifically, 57% said they disapproved of Trump's handling of the situation, while 61% said they disapproved of his foreign policy in general.
Just 8% of those surveyed said they wanted to see Trump go further with military interventions. But they appear to be who Trump is listening to.
An anonymous US official told Reuters on Wednesday that the United States has begun to pull personnel from military bases in the Middle East as a precaution after the Islamic Republic said it would retaliate in the event of a US strike. Britain has reportedly begun to do the same with military bases in Qatar in anticipation of a US strike.
"All the signals are that a US attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes," another Western military official told the outlet. "Unpredictability is part of the strategy."
Trump's threats to strike Iran come as the nation clamps down on the largest wave of unrest it has seen since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, following the collapse of the nation's currency and skyrocketing cost of living in part due to US sanctions.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, security forces had killed at least 2,586 demonstrators as of Wednesday, while more than 18,000 have been detained.
However, many Iranians taking part in the protests, as well as their supporters abroad, have warned that the US, which has long undermined democracy in the country, will seek to exploit their struggle against the theocratic regime.
