U.S. President Donald Trump gets credit from U.S. voters for his successful efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as a plurality now approves of the way he is handling the conflict, according to a new poll.
In the latest Quinnipiac University survey, released on Wednesday, 47% approved of his handling of the war, with 41% disapproving. That includes 21% of Democrats and 42% of independents. Last month, Trump was in negative territory on that issue, with 56% disapproving and just a 31% approval rating.
More than two-thirds of voters (68%) said that Trump deserves a great deal or some credit for negotiating the ceasefire—including 52% of Democrats and 64% of independents—with 27% saying he should get little or no credit.
A majority of voters (56%) said they were either not so confident or not at all confident that the United States could negotiate a lasting peace between Israel and Hamas, while 42% said they were very or somewhat confident it could happen.
“Approval for President Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict leaps as hostages are released and a fragile ceasefire holds,” stated Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University polling analyst. “But the optimism is tempered by voters’ concerns that the promise of peace may just be temporary.”
Trump’s overall approval rating showed virtually no improvement. More than half (54%) disapproved of his performance in office, with 40% approving. That was statistically unchanged from his 54% negative and 38% positive ratings last month.
The poll of 1,327 self-identified registered voters was conducted Oct. 16-20 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
