Poll: Majority of Americans Say Military Action in Iran 'Necessary and Warranted'
Americans want President Donald Trump to end Iran’s potential nuclear threat to the region and the world, according to a new survey.
A new poll by McLaughlin and Associates found 57 percent of those surveyed want the almost 50 years of Iranian hostility smothered for good, according to an op-ed by John and Jim McLaughlin posted on Newsmax.
“A clear majority believes decisive action is justified — and an even stronger majority of 59% said President Trump should finish the job to ensure Iran never acquires nuclear weapons,” the article said.
The McLaughlins based their comments on a poll of 1,000 likely voters conducted between March 2 and March 9. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
The poll noted that support increased the more respondents were asked about the context of Iran’s hostility to America. For example, the poll found 51 percent support in light of Iran’s refusal to negotiate an end to its nuclear weapons program.
That rose to 57 percent once respondents were reminded about the acts of terror Iran has sponsored that have claimed American lives, and asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “The United States military actions against Iran and the leadership of the Iranian regime were necessary and warranted to protect American lives today and in the future.”
The survey reflected America’s partisan divide, with 86 percent of Republicans supporting military action and only 25 percent of Democrats approving of it.
The survey revealed the effects of media influence, finding that 82 percent of respondents who watch right-of-center cable news support the war, while 72 percent of those who watch left-of-center cable news oppose it.
The bottom line, the McLaughlins wrote, was that “a majority of American voters support the use of U.S. military force to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.”
“Second — and even more significantly — an even larger majority believes that once the United States has taken action, it should see the effort through and eliminate the threat permanently rather than face repeated conflicts in the future,” they wrote.
“The findings also reveal a significant gap between the views of the American electorate and the tone of much of the left-of-center media coverage, which has largely portrayed the public as skeptical or opposed to military action,” the article continued.
Some have argued that media outlets are skewing their reporting to flatten support as measured by polling.
Mark Penn, an adviser to former President Bill Clinton, said the media has taken a side.
“The press is a drumbeat of negativity favoring the Iran regime. It’s puzzling at this point how any success is buried,” he remarked. “The reality is likely the regime is being pummeled on all sides and has no ability to provide for its people. Maybe it can put on a good show for another week or two, but its leadership is under immense pressure. But that’s not what the American public is getting from the mainstream media.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth jabbed CNN on Friday during his briefing on the war, as noted by The Hill.
“Fake news from CNN reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz. Patently ridiculous, of course,” he said.
“For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage,” Hegseth continued.
“CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” Hegseth said, referring to the potential takeover of CNN.
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