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President Donald Trump is going before the nation at a crucial time Wednesday evening to deliver what the White House says is a “significant update” on the war with Iran.
The president’s speech comes amid a month-long US and Israeli attack on Iran, which many Americans do not like, and rising fuel prices that are a direct result of these conflicts have caused Trump’s standing to drop in public opinion polls.
The political implications are clear: The Iran strikes and the erosion of the president’s approval ratings are warning signs for the GOP as Republicans step up to protect their minority House and Senate officials in this fall’s midterm elections.
Trump stood at 41% approval and 59% disapproval in the latest Fox News poll, conducted March 20-23. The president’s 18-point unfavorable margin increased from 14 points in the previous Fox News poll, conducted February 28–March 2, as the strikes against Iran began.
FOX NEWS NEWS LIVE ON US WAR WITH IRAN
The president’s approval ratings were in the high 30s, and his disapproval from the low 50s to the low 60s, in the latest national poll from Reuters/Ipsos, AP/NORC, and Quinnipiac University. A CNN poll conducted March 26-30 and released Wednesday showed Trump had an approval/disapproval rating of 35%-64%.
The average of the latest national polls measuring the president’s standing puts Trump at just over 40%, with his disapproval in the high 50s.
THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS THE WAR WITH IRAN
While Trump’s base remains largely supportive of the president and the war, much of the slippage is coming from within the GOP, especially those considered non-MAGA Republicans.
“I’m seeing in the last few polls it’s down… close to a double-digit move,” said veteran Republican Daron Shaw, who co-runs the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson, pointing to a drop in Trump’s support among non-MAGA Republicans.
A screenshot from a video released on US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shows Donald Trump making statements about the Iran war on Feb. 28, 2026, Palm Beach, Florida. (President Trump Via Truth Social/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Fueling Trump’s decline appears to be rising gas prices.
The average price of gasoline in the US rose by $4 per gallon on Tuesday, according to national estimates from AAA and GasBuddy, for the first time in four years.
FOX BUSINESS: GAS PRICES UP $4 A GALLON
A military attack by the US and Israel led to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, as well as the destruction of the country’s military.
In response, Iran has targeted energy centers with missile and drone attacks in several Persian Gulf countries. It also made the Strait of Hormuz almost inaccessible to commercial ships, bringing in about 20% of the world’s oil supply and sending global oil prices to record highs.
A gas station displays a sign for $3.999 for regular gas, in Cleveland, Monday, March 30, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)
That has fueled Trump’s polling problems when it comes to his economic performance, amid public dissatisfaction with high prices and the cost of living.
The rise of inflation helped the victory of Trump and the Republicans in the 2024 elections, when they won the White House and the Senate and successfully defended their majority in the lower House.
DEMOCRATS SHOW TRUMP, GOP, OVER FIXED GAS PRICES
But the Democrats’ laser focus on affordability, amid persistent inflation, has fueled a string of victories and outperformance in the 2025 election and in special elections in the more than 14 months since Trump returned to the White House.
According to a Fox News poll, 80% of respondents said they are worried about gas prices, and 86% are worried about inflation and higher prices. And a CNN poll revealed that the president’s approval rating for handling the economy has fallen to 31%, the lowest level Trump has ever recorded in their polls.
The White House says the price hike is temporary.
“Once Operation Epic Fury is complete, gasoline prices will drop back to the lowest levels American drivers enjoyed prior to this temporary disruption,” White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said in a statement Tuesday.
Leavitt stressed that “President Trump remains committed to fully unleashing America’s power, reducing costs, and putting more money back into the pockets of hard-working American families.”
IT ALSO CONTINUES FROM THE IRAN CONFLICT, BUT PRODUCED GAS PRICES ARE UP.
Rising gas prices give Democrats more political ammunition to target the GOP.
“BREAKING: National Electric Prices Skyrocket to $4 Per Gallon,” read the headline from a Tuesday morning email from the Democratic National Committee.
The House Democrats’ campaign committee last week unveiled digital ads showing rising faucet prices and the graphic “DC Republicans Do It!” Sources say we expect another round of gas price announcements in the coming weeks.
But Democrats have their own polling problems, as the party’s brand image has plummeted to historic lows in many polls over the past year.
Shaw, pointing to the so-called bipartisan, voters who disapprove of both Trump and the Democrats, said that group has not changed much for the Democrats as the midterms approach.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview that, in his opinion, “Trump’s decision to launch this military action is the most important decision” of his presidency.
Such views only heighten what is at stake when Trump addresses the nation for the first time.
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“The American people want to hear what a mess the war is and when it’s going to end,” Dan Eberhart, an oil executive and prominent Republican donor told Fox News Digital.
Eberhart, who supports the president, said: “Trump’s base is with him, but many ordinary Americans feel that the war is unnecessary. Tonight is Trump’s chance to explain why this war is important to the American people every day.”
