Most Republican voters think President Donald Trump broke his “promise” to stop foreign wars, according to a new poll.
A Democracy Institute poll released Tuesday found that 80% of respondents believe Trump abandoned his 2024 campaign pledge to end foreign wars, including 85% of Republicans and 73% of Democrats. The survey’s release comes after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes against the Islamic regime early Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump notably claimed in his November 2024 election victory speech that “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars,” The Los Angeles Times reported on Feb. 28.
Democracy Institute US Iran War Poll 3 March 2026 Slide Deck by irelandowens.dcnf
Moreover, 67% of Americans disapprove of the joint U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, while 28% support it, according to Democracy Institute’s poll. Meanwhile, 71% of respondents think the U.S.’ ongoing war with Iran makes Americans “less safe,” compared to 23% who said it makes Americans “safer,” the survey suggests.
Of those surveyed, 37% of U.S. voters think Trump has committed a “war crime,” according to the poll. By comparison, 61% of respondents said the president has not committed a war crime, the poll shows.
“President Trump is MAGA and MAGA is President Trump. The President has rebuilt our great military and continues to do so, restored America First policies, and prioritizes peace through strength,” White House Assistant Press Secretary Olivia Wales told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement on Wednesday. “Under the evil hand of the Ayatollah, this terrorist regime has killed and maimed thousands of Americans for nearly 50 years – but, with Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is putting America first, eliminating the threat to our people, and securing our Nation and world for generations to come.”
Other recent polls have similarly shown many voters disapprove of the U.S.’ conflict with Iran. Only one in four Americans said they support the recent strikes against Iran, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey released on Sunday.
However, Trump told The New York Post in an interview published on Monday that he does not “care about polling.”
“I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling,” the president told the Post. “I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago.”
Trump has been a longtime advocate for no endless wars, stating in a speech during his 2016 presidential campaign that he was “proud to have the support of warfighting generals, active duty military, and the top experts who know both how to win – and how to avoid the endless wars we are caught in now,” The Hill reported.
Additionally, Trump drew some criticism after he sent the U.S. military to Venezuela to capture now-former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January, despite previously pledging to halt foreign wars.
Several supporters of the right-wing “America First” movement have publicly criticized Trump over the recent U.S. military strikes in Iran.
Democracy Institute’s poll surveyed 1,400 likely U.S. voters from March 1-2. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3% at a 95% confidence interval, and the margin of error is higher for partisan subgroups.
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