Almost half disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran: NPR poll

Almost half of the respondents in a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll said they disapprove of President Trump’s actions regarding Iran, though the results are split largely along party lines.

Overall, 49 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of tensions with Iran and 42 percent said they approve.

Among those that identified as Democrats, 84 percent disapproved of the president’s actions, while 88 percent of those that identified as Republicans approve. Among independents, 49 percent disapprove and 42 percent approve.

Tensions with Iran were ratcheted up considerably in recent weeks after Trump authorized an airstrike in Iraq that killed Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani.

In retaliation, Iran launched a missile strike on two Iraqi military bases that house U.S. troops, though no casualties were sustained. In an address to the nation the following day, Trump announced new “punishing” sanctions against Iran. He didn’t say whether there would be further military action against Iran.

Trump’s approval rating in the net poll stayed consistent with past surveys, with 41 percent of Americans approving of the job that he is doing as president.

Impeachment findings also stayed steady, with 47 percent saying the Senate should remove Trump from office and 47 percent saying it should not.

The poll surveyed 1,259 American adults and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.