New poll shows political split on Trump's bombing of Iran

A poll taken after President Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities found Republicans were in largely favor of the move while Democrats opposed it.

The poll, conducted via text message by SSRS Research on behalf of CNN, found 56% of respondents didn’t approve of the strikes versus 44% who did.

A big divide was found among political parties, aligning with how Democrats and Republicans view many of Mr. Trump’s actions.

Only 12% of Democratic respondents approved of the strikes compared with 82% who identified as Republicans and liked the move.

Among independents, 40% approved of the strikes and 60% disapproved.

Mr. Trump ordered the strikes on Iran’s Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities on Saturday Eastern time and Sunday Mideast time amid intelligence that he said showed the Iranians “weeks away” from being capable of producing a nuclear bomb.

The bombing wrecked the three sites and may have paved the way for a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, which had been exchanging missile attacks since June 13.

Mr. Trump has long pledged to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuke. He also campaigned on keeping America out of “endless wars” in the Middle East, a stance that helped attract young voters.

According to the poll, the strongest disapproval of the strikes came from respondents under age 50, while most adults over 50 approved of Mr. Trump’s decision to bomb.

Among respondents ages 18-34, only 32% approved of the strikes and 68% disapproved.

Democrats and some Republicans feared escalation in the hours after the bombing, but Mr. Trump is promoting his action as a major step toward achieving world peace.

He said the U.S. strike “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities and announced a ceasefire Monday that kept the skies over Iran and Israel quiet late Tuesday.