Even Trump supporters not enthusiastic about war in Iran, U.S. political scientist says
Americans are skeptical about the United States’ military actions in Iran, and even supporters of the President are not showing much enthusiasm.
This opinion was expressed by Lincoln Mitchell, a political scientist at Columbia University, in a comment to Ukrinform.
He noted that many on the left instinctively oppose the war simply because it is associated with Donald Trump. Moreover, Americans have seen similar situations before — in Iraq War, and older generations still remember the Vietnam War.
More conservative voters – “mostly Jewish Americans who are very focused on the safety of Israel – and they think this is making Israel safer,” Mitchell said.
“There are bombs falling on Israel, so how safe can it be every time?” he remarked.
The political scientist drew parallels with both Iraq wars and other military campaigns: “I don't see people enthused about this war. Even people who are ideologically on the right, generally conservative, generally supportive of Trump — I don't see them enthusiastic about this war.”
“I don't hear people saying, ‘Oh, we're really kicking Iran’s ass’,’” the expert said. “I don't hear the hatred toward Khamenei – who is a terrible guy – the way I heard hatred toward Saddam Hussein.”
Partly, this is because the administration has not sufficiently informed the American public about the actions of the leader of the Iranian regime, the analyst believes.
Therefore, there is no so-called “rally-around-the-flag” effect, he emphasized. The idea behind such an effect is that when America enters a war, the president’s popularity rises as people rally around the country.
“Instead, I see a lot of negatives,” the political scientist added.
Many people are worried that Trump is being distracted from what matters most. “American voters care about the economy,” Mitchell said.
“He's running around the world getting involved in wars while people's groceries are still expensive,” the political scientist said, describing the mood among average Americans.
A similar situation occurred in 1992, when it was widely believed that George H. W. Bush would win a decisive victory, but Bill Clinton ultimately won the election. At the time, people said that Bush “didn’t care about America – that he only cared about Iraq,” Similar sentiments are emerging now, especially among swing voters who previously supported Trump, the expert noted.
“I buy groceries every week or so – things are expensive,” Mitchell added. “Fortunately, I can afford it. But if I didn’t have a good household income, we would really notice it.”
As reported by Ukrinform, on February 28, the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on regime facilities in Iran. After that, Iran attacked U.S. bases in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan.
Trump suggested that the war with Iran could end soon.
Photo: CENTCOM