Poll: 47 percent approve of Trump strike on Soleimani

Nearly half of American voters approve of President Trump’s decision to order the airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, according to a new Morning Consult poll.

The survey, which was released on Wednesday but conducted before Iran responded to the strike by firing rockets at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, found that 47 percent of American voters supported Trump’s move to authorize a drone strike on Soleimani outside the Baghdad airport last week. Forty percent of voters said they opposed the decision, while 14 percent said they did not have an opinion. 

The opinions divided strongly along with partisan lines, with 70 percent of Democrats opposing the airstrike and 85 percent of Republicans supporting it. Sixty-one percent of Republican respondents said they strongly approved Trump’s decision.

The airstrike that killed Soleimani could have far-reaching consequences in the Middle East. Iran, who had vowed retaliation, on Tuesday night claimed responsibility for firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops and coalition personnel. The attacks led to zero casualties, according to early reports.

In a televised address following those strikes, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that the country would continue to “hit back” if the U.S. launched further military actions in response. 

The Morning Consult survey shows that an overwhelming majority of voters think the killing of Soleimani leads to a greater chance of war. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said the attack meant war with Iran was more likely, and 50 percent said they thought it made the U.S. less safe. 

The results are similar to a HuffPost-YouGov survey released earlier this week, which found that Americans were almost equally divided in their support and opposition to the airstrikes. In that poll, 43 percent of respondents said they approved the strike, while 38 percent disapproved of the military action. 

The survey also found that 57 percent of respondents said they think further military conflict between the U.S. and Iran is more likely than before.

The Morning Consult poll was conducted from Jan. 4 to 5 among 1,995 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.