By double-digit margins, America’s voters are strongly behind President Donald Trump’s determination to end the war Iran has been waging against us for the last 47 years. They want him to finish the job to ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon with which to threaten us.
You wouldn’t know that if all you read were headlines from legacy media outlets reporting on the surveys they commission.
Instead, strong support for Trump’s actions appears in the results of a recent survey of general election voters conducted for Tea Party Patriots Action by McLaughlin & Associates.
What accounts for the difference between the results of our survey and theirs?
Perhaps it’s because in our survey we were actually trying to learn what people really think, rather than simply using a new survey as an excuse to publish another anti-Trump headline and story.
The way a poll phrases questions is key. In one recent survey, for example, respondents were asked, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Trump is handling the situation with Iran?” The answer to that question is irrelevant, because it doesn’t define just how Trump is “handling” “the situation” with Iran. It doesn’t really help at all — those who say they approve of the way he’s handling Iran could be answering that way because they are pleased he employed military action against Iran — or they could be answering that way because he now is clearly trying to achieve a diplomatic success instead of a military victory. Knowing they “approve,” but not why, doesn’t help him or his aides know what the public is really thinking when it comes to formulating policy.
By contrast, we put our questions in context.
For example, before we asked them anything, we read survey respondents the following statement: “The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes. Nearly 20% of the world’s oil — plus a fifth of global natural gas, fertilizers that grow our food, and the raw materials behind plastics and everyday consumer goods — passes through it. Iran has blocked ships, launched attacks on cargo vessels, deployed mines, and demanded payments from ships trying to pass through. When Iran shuts down that waterway, Americans pay more for gas, groceries, and goods — and the rest of the world suffers too.” Then they were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “Iran should not be allowed to block, attack, mine, or extort ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Seventy-two percent said they agree (with 53% saying they “strongly” agree), against just 18% who said they disagree (with just 10% saying they “strongly” disagree). That’s a 4-to-1 ratio, and any pollster will tell you that’s overwhelming.
Majorities of every single voter group, across all regional, partisan, ideological, racial, age, and marital status lines, agreed with the statement.
Then, voters were read a second context statement: “Iran has consistently threatened U.S. safety, pursuing a nuclear program with the stated purpose of destroying Israel and causing mass destruction to the United States. If we don’t finish the job now, the United States may have to take further military action months or years from now. Decisions about any specific military action are for the President, as Commander in Chief, to make. But on the underlying goal.” Then they were asked if they agreed or disagreed with this statement: “The United States must finish the job once and for all to protect the United States and our allies — which means ensuring that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon and can no longer threaten American lives.”
Here, support for Trump’s position was also strong: 61% said they agreed (with 40% saying they “strongly” agree), against just 28% who said they disagree (with just 15% saying they “strongly” disagree).
Strong majorities of almost all the same key voter groups agreed with the statement. Only five voter subgroups didn’t show at least plurality support for the statement: Democrats, liberals, those who plan to vote for a Democrat for Congress, those who disapprove of Trump, and those who voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. And even among these left-leaning subgroups, the lowest support number for the statement was 40%.
TRUMP’S ALTERNATIVE TO WAR WITH IRAN ISN’T PEACE. IT’S A BLOODBATH
The American public has waited 47 years for a president who will take action to protect them against the radical regime in Iran determined to kill Americans, especially one committed to doing whatever it takes to obtain a nuclear weapon to use against the U.S. and our allies.
In Trump, Americans have found that president. The proof is in the polling.
Jenny Beth Martin is chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action.