Americans worry about war in Iran, Trump's promises

The majority of the American public disapproves of US President Donald Trump's decision to attack Iran, with many among his support base saying he broke his campaign promises.

"He ran on no more wars, end these stupid, senseless wars, and then we have one that we can't even really clearly define why we did it," Joe Rogan, a Trump supporter in 2024 and an influential podcaster with more than 16 million followers, said on Tuesday.

"I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right?" Rogan said.

Trump campaigned largely on an "America First" policy and called US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan "forever wars".

Rogan expressed concern that Iran might employ terrorist attacks within the United States to cause massive harm to Americans in retaliation.

Tucker Carlson, a conservative activist who visits the White House regularly, was reported to have described the airstrike on Iran "absolutely disgusting and evil". He had lobbied Trump against attack on Iran.

A podcast titled Donald Trump has Betrayed America by Candace Owens garnered 2.3 million views with more than 27,000 comments in two days.

Unpopular action

Polls have indicated that public support for a prolonged war with Iran is low.

A CNN poll conducted Feb 28 - March 1 showed that 41 percent of Americans approve of military action against Iran with 59 percent against. In addition, 54 percent Americans believe that US military action in Iran will make Iran more of a threat to the US. Only 28 percent believe the opposite.

More Americans — 60 percent — are against the US sending ground troops into Iran. The support for US military action against Iran dropped to less than 10 percent if such an operation will result in a broader conflict in the Middle East, higher oil and gas prices, or US troops getting killed.

An NPR/PBS survey of about 1,600 people in the week following the initial strikes showed that 56 percent of Americans were against the military action and only 36 percent approved of Trump's handling of the Iran War.

Some Americans are worried that by initiating this attack on Iran, Trump has put the US in an impossible situation no matter what he subsequently chooses to do. They are worried that the US might be sliding into another "endless war" if a quick end can't be achieved.

"If the US withdraws soon, we would look weak because Iran would be able to recoup with more vengeance against the US," said a Houstonian named Michael. "The public, including many of Trump's base, are against boots on the ground in Iran because not much good came out of our expensive occupations in Iraq or Afghanistan. We can't eliminate the Iran threat without considerable military involvement or a new regime friendly to the US. What to do?"

Costs rising

Pentagon officials told lawmakers in a briefing on Capitol Hill that the first week of attacks on Iran had cost $11.3 billion, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Citing people familiar with the briefing, the Times said the estimate did not include costs related to the initial military buildup or personnel before the strikes.

"I've heard the $1 billion a day number," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told USA TODAY, adding he couldn't fully confirm its veracity.

"I've asked this question before, and it's been avoided by the top Pentagon officials. They have been totally unforthcoming about the cost. So I'm not holding my breath," he added.

That cost is higher than previous estimates, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies having calculated that the first 100 hours of the operation cost $3.7 billion.

It's possible that Trump could ask Congress for an emergency funding measure, though such a request has not been submitted, USA TODAY reported.

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com