New York Times: Trump is the first US president to wage an unpopular war

In a first-of-its-kind, the New York Times revealed that President Donald Trump is leading the country in a war on Iran that lacks the broad popular support of his predecessors when a major military conflict begins.

This early rejection portends increasing political challenges for Trump and Republicans as the fight continues.

Support for the war in the United States ranges from just 27% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll to 41% in a CNN poll.

These figures are far below the levels of support enjoyed by previous presidents when they launched military operations, as Americans used to stand by their president in the first moments of any conflict.

The New York Times argues that this early rejection reflects several cumulative factors, such as war fatigue, as in decades of fighting in the Middle East (Iraq, Afghanistan) have exhausted the American people, leaving them unmotivated to embark on a new military adventure.

Also, there is a sharp polarization, with the deep political divide that has made it difficult to garner cross-party national support, even among those sympathetic to the goal of overthrowing the Iranian government.

The failure to communicate, as unlike his predecessors, Trump has made little effort to explain the war’s goals to the American people, or to explain how it will end, and this was evident in the contradictory accounts his administration has given about the justifications for the attack.

The New York Times quoted Peter D. Pfeiffer, a former national security assistant under President George W. Bush, said Trump is inventing a new approach to the way he fights the war, but at the same time taking one of the biggest political risks.

The low popularity could have a negative impact on Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, especially since their vote in Congress in favor of authorizing war could become propaganda material against it in Democratic campaigns.