The question has been raised again and again from President Donald Trump's political opponents and many pundits ... What would he have to do to alienate the MAGA base?
There appears to be an answer.
Go to war with Iran and keep it going indefinitely.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that as gas prices spike and questions continue about the goal of war in Iran, Republicans have their limits, especially since Trump promised throughout his campaign that he had no interest in foreign wars.
The poll shows that six in 10 adults say the recent U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far, 26% say it has been about right, and 13% say it has not gone far enough.
There are predictable splits along party lines with nine in 10 Democrats saying military action in Iran has gone too far, while 52% of Republicans say it’s been about right.
But there's an interesting caveat in that 62% of Republican respondents said they would oppose ground troops in Iran, and 48% of the GOP opposed sending U.S. money to Israel to help boost their military to fight Iran.
When you remove the party affiliation, the majority of Americans do not support the current military action, with about 59% of Americans agreeing U.S. actions in Iran has been excessive.
And it's hitting home. At the same time, 45% of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% in an AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump won reelection.
However, as the AP noted, there is very strong support for one aspect of Trump's rhetoric regarding Iran, and that's making sure they don't get a nuclear weapon.
"About two-thirds of Americans say that should be an “extremely” or “very” important foreign policy goal for the U.S. However, they are just as likely to say it’s important to keep U.S. oil and gas prices from rising — a juxtaposition that could be difficult for the White House to manage," the AP reported.
