Most Utahns disapprove of how Trump is handling Iran war: Poll

SALT LAKE CITY — A plurality of Utah voters disapprove of the military actions taking place in Iran and are critical of the way President Donald Trump is handling the war, according to a new poll.

Most Utah voters (49%) say they disapprove of recent military actions in Iran while just 44% say they approve, according to the most recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics Survey conducted by Morning Consult. Only 8% of respondents said they were unsure of how they felt.

That’s a slight increase from last month, when just 42% of respondents said they approved of military action in Iran, but it still puts President Donald Trump underwater overall.

 

A majority of Utah voters (53%) specifically said they disapproved of the way Trump was handling the war in Iran, with just 43% who said they approved, the poll shows. That’s virtually the same as what voters said in May.

The poll was conducted between June 16-22, just days after Trump announced an initial ceasefire deal with Iran as the administration tries to finalize an agreement to end the country’s nuclear development.

News of that deal is widely known by Utah voters, with 26% saying they have seen or heard “a lot” about the agreement and another 41% said they knew “some” of it, according to the poll. Another 22% said they had seen “not much” while 7% said the poll question was the first time they had heard about the ceasefire deal.

Four percent said they did not know or had no opinion.

Some details are known about the memorandum of understanding that was signed by both countries, but final agreements on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the future of the Strait of Hormuz have yet to be determined.

When asked if the war would be considered a success or failure, based on the assumption the ceasefire will hold, voters were split.

Only 13% said it would “definitely be a success,” with another 22% who said it would be “somewhat of a success,” the poll shows. But 22% said it’s “definitely a failure” on top of another 11% who said it was “somewhat a failure.”

But even more voters (23%) said it would be neither, remaining neutral on the topic.

The war in Iran has particularly had a drag on Trump’s overall approval ratings, which have been underwater in Utah for months. Only 48% say they approve of Trump’s job performance, unchanged from how they felt in May, according to the poll.

Still, it’s improved from April when just 45% of voters said they approved of his job performance as president.

Hegseth support slips among Utahns

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also underwater in terms of approval ratings as the war rages on.

Only 40% of Utahns say they approve of his job performance compared to 44% who say they disapprove, according to the poll. That’s similar to May when 41% said they approved of his job performance.

Notably, Hegseth’s support from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took a dive over the last month. Just 40% say they approve of his performance compared to the 47% who said the same last month.

That decline in support comes after the Pentagon initially updated its list of religious affiliations and put 21 of the religions under the “Christian” umbrella — leaving out The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After outcry from Utah lawmakers, the list was again updated to remove the “Christian” label altogether.

That controversy took place a week before the poll was conducted, possibly playing a role in the swing.

The survey was conducted by Morning Consult between June 16-22 among 850 registered Utah voters and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.