By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s approval rating held at the lowest of his term in recent days ​as many Americans questioned his temperament amid the Iran war and a feud with Pope Leo, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The ‌six-day public opinion poll, concluded on Monday, showed only 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, unchanged from a month earlier. Trump enjoyed the highest approval rating of his current term, 47%, shortly after he was sworn in to office on January 20, 2025.

Trump has been under pressure since his administration and ​Israel launched a war against Iran in February that has pushed gasoline prices sharply higher. Some 36% of Americans approve ​of U.S. military strikes against Iran, compared with 35% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 10-12. The ⁠latest poll of 4,557 U.S. adults nationwide, conducted online, had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
The poll showed many Americans, including ​some members of Trump’s Republican Party, have some concerns about the 79-year-old president’s temperament and mental sharpness following a series of explosive outbursts.

Only ​26% of Americans said they consider Trump “even-tempered.” Republicans were divided on this question, with 53% considering him to be so and 46% saying he is not, while a handful declined to answer the question. Only 7% of Democrats saw Trump as even-tempered.

TRUMP’S PROFANE THREATS

Trump has exhibited agitation in recent weeks, posting a threat ​on social media to wipe out Iran’s civilization while also attacking Pope Leo as weak on crime following the pontiff’s criticism of ​the Iran war. Trump has threatened – even profanely – to destroy all of Iran’s bridges and power plants.

He alarmed allies earlier this year by threatening military force ‌against ⁠NATO ally Denmark over his demand for U.S. annexation of Greenland.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted during a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. that was due to expire on Tuesday.
Some 51% of Americans – including 14% of Republicans, 54% of independents and 85% of Democrats – said Trump’s mental sharpness had gotten “worse” over the past year.

TRUMP BLASTS POPE

Trump’s attacks ​on Pope Leo have drawn attention ​in part because Americans have ⁠a generally higher opinion of the pontiff than they do of the president. Some 60% of respondents said they had a favorable view of Pope Leo, compared with 36% who said the same of ​Trump. They also viewed the pope more favorably than prominent Democrats including California Governor Gavin Newsom and ​former Vice President ⁠Kamala Harris.
The poll found only 16% of Americans back a U.S. exit from the NATO alliance, a move Trump has threatened.

The war with Iran triggered a surge in gasoline prices that has hit most Americans’ personal finances. Trump’s approval rating on his handling of the cost of living ⁠in the ​United States was 26%, tied for the lowest reading yet for him. Similarly, only ​26% of respondents in the poll said the U.S. military action in Iran has been worth its costs.

Only 25% of respondents – including 6% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans – ​said they thought U.S. strikes on Iran would make America safer.
Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller