President Donald Trump goes before the nation in prime time on Wednesday evening to deliver what the White House says is "an important update" on the war with Iran.
The president's address comes amid the month-long attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, which polls indicate are unpopular with many Americans, and a surge in gas prices as a direct result of the fighting have triggered a further slide in Trump's standing in public opinion surveys.
The political implications are clear: The strikes on Iran and the erosion of the president's approval ratings are warning signs for the GOP as Republicans ramp up to defend their slim House and Senate majorities in this autumn's midterm elections.
Trump stood at 41% approval and 59% disapproval in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted March 20–23. The president's negative 18-point margin was up from 14 points in the previous Fox News poll, which was conducted Feb. 28–March 2, as the strikes against Iran began.
FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE U.S. WAR WITH IRAN
The president's approval ratings stood in the upper 30s, with his disapproval in the upper 50s to low 60s, in the most recent national surveys from Reuters/Ipsos, AP/NORC, and Quinnipiac University. A CNN poll conducted March 26–30 and released Wednesday indicated Trump had a 35%-64% approval/disapproval rating.
An average of the most recent national surveys gauging the president's standing puts Trump just above 40%, with his disapproval in the upper 50s.
WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS ON THE WAR WITH IRAN
While Trump's base remains extremely supportive of the president and the war, much of the slippage is coming from within the GOP, specifically those who are considered non-MAGA Republicans.
"I do see in the last couple of surveys an edging down…close to a double-digit movement," veteran Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps run the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson, said, pointing to declining support for Trump among non-MAGA Republicans.
Fueling Trump's decline appears to be the surge in gas prices.
The average price of gasoline in the U.S. topped $4 per gallon on Tuesday, according to national averages from AAA and GasBuddy, for the first time in four years.
FOX BUSINESS: GAS PRICES TOP $4 PER GALLON
The military attacks by the U.S. and Israel have resulted in the deaths of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, and the decimation of the country's military.
In response, Iran has targeted energy facilities with missile and drone attacks in a number of Persian Gulf nations. It has also made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable to commercial shipping, bringing roughly 20% of the world's oil supply to a halt and sending global fuel prices sharply higher.
That has only exacerbated Trump's polling woes when it comes to his performance on the economy, amid public dissatisfaction with high prices and the cost of living.
A spotlight on inflation helped fuel sweeping victories by Trump and Republicans in the 2024 elections, when they won back the White House and Senate and successfully defended their slim House majority.
DEMOCRATS TARGET TRUMP, GOP, OVER SURING GAS PRICES
But a laser focus on affordability by Democrats, amid persistent inflation, has fueled a slew of victories and overperformances in 2025's off-year elections and in special elections in the more than 14 months since Trump returned to the White House.
According to the Fox News poll, 80% of respondents said they were concerned about gas prices, and 86% concerned about inflation and high prices. And the CNN survey spotlighted that the president's approval rating for handling the economy sank to 31%, Trump's lowest level ever in their polling.
The White House says the surge in prices is temporary.
"When Operation Epic Fury is complete, gas prices will plummet back to the multiyear lows American drivers enjoyed before these short-term disruptions," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday.
Leavitt emphasized that "President Trump remains committed to fully unleashing American energy dominance, lowering costs, and putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking American families."
OIL HAS SURGED SINCE THE IRAN CONFLICT BEGAN, BUT GAS PRICES MAY NOT BE DONE RISING
The gas price surge is giving Democrats more political ammunition to target the GOP.
"BREAKING: National Gas Prices Skyrocket to $4 Per Gallon," read the headline from an email Tuesday morning from the Democratic National Committee.
The House Democrats' campaign committee last week launched digital ads showing prices at the pump rising and an image saying "D.C. Republicans Did That!" Sources say to expect another round of ads on gas prices in the coming weeks.
But Democrats have their own polling problems, as the party's brand image has cratered to historic lows in a slew of polls over the past year.
Shaw, pointing to the so-called double-haters, voters who disapprove of both Trump and the Democrats, said that group hasn't "really swung dramatically to 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 consequential decision" of his presidency.
Such perceptions only increase what's at stake when Trump addresses the nation in prime time.
"The American people want to hear what the off-ramp for the war is and when it will end," Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and prominent Republican donor told Fox News Digital.
Eberhart, who is supportive of the president, said: "Trump's base is with him, but many ordinary Americans feel the war is unnecessary. Tonight is Trump's opportunity to explain why this war matters to everyday Americans."
