Over the weekend, as a US carrier strike group made its way toward Iran, President Trump told Politico, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.” This pro “regime change” statement came just days after the US and Israel-led covert operation to overthrow the Iranian government was finally defeated by Iranian authorities.
The US President is making it clear he is not giving up on “regime change” for Iran. Late last week the world held its breath expecting a US missile strike on Iran after Trump promised “help is on the way” to the US-backed insurrectionists. President Trump claimed that he called off the strikes at the last minute when he was told that Iran would hold off on executing the ringleaders of the revolt.
Ironically, Trump himself has ordered the execution of more than 100 individuals on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean without charges, trials, or convictions.
The renewed military threats on Iran come after the unprecedented fifth visit to DC this year by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was said to be arriving with a renewed demand for US military action against Iran. Add to this the recent US military operation to kidnap the President and first lady of Venezuela and take the country’s oil, as well as President Trump’s increasing demands for control over Greenland, and the aggressive militarism of this Administration is about the polar opposite of what was promised by Candidate Trump.
And the American people are taking notice.
Three recently released polls could spell disaster for Trump’s second term – and for Republicans in this year’s midterm elections.
According to a Quinnipiac University Poll released last week, seven in ten Americans oppose the US use of force against Iran, including a solid majority of Republican voters. Eighty percent of the very important independent voters oppose any US attack on Iran.
On President Trump’s renewed demand for control of Greenland – control he claimed he would get “the easy way or the hard way” – that same Quinnipiac poll shows that 86 percent of Americans surveyed oppose taking the territory by force. A majority of 55 percent of Americans polled do not even want President Trump to purchase the massive island.
An AP/NORC poll also released last week showed President Trump’s approval rating on foreign policy has shrunk to a new low in his presidency. According to the poll, “Forty-five percent of adults want the US to take a less active role in global affairs, up from 33 percent in September 2025.”
Americans are clearly more interested in getting our problems solved at home than acting as policeman for the world.
Perhaps even worse for President Trump and the Republicans, according to a newly-released Real Clear Politics poll, President Trump’s approval rating hits new second-term low of 42.1 percent.
Whatever praise President Trump may be receiving from his inner circle – which is increasingly neocon – and a small group of MAGA supporters, such aggressive operations overseas are rapidly losing him the support of the rest of the American people. And that includes Republicans.
Trump ran on “no new wars” and “no more regime change overseas.” These are very popular positions. Abandoning these positions has cost Trump dearly. We can hope that in the remaining three years President Trump will rediscover Candidate Trump’s positions and show his neocon advisors the door.
