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Donald Trump's decision to assassinate Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani has made the U.S. less safe say a majority of Americans by a 2-1 margin (55%-24%), according to a new USA Today/Ipsos poll. A majority of respondents also called Trump's actions toward Iran "reckless," 52%-34%.
Americans also overwhelmingly shared the view that the strike makes it more likely that Iran will attack U.S. interests in the Middle East (69%), that terrorists will wage attacks on U.S. soil (63%), and that the U.S. will go to war with Iran (62%). Americans also think the strike increases the likelihood that Iran will produce a nuclear weapon, 52%-8%.
Finally, a 47%-39% plurality believe Trump ordered the strike for purely political reasons to distract from his impeachment. Really, it’s simply stunning that a plurality of citizens think their president risked marching the nation into war out of political opportunism.
The online survey of 1,005 adults was conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday. The numbers are unbelievably bad for Trump, reflecting the fact that he has done nothing to give most Americans any confidence in his ability to handle a major national security crisis.