With living costs leading a poll of congressional voting priorities ahead of Nov. 3, The Atlantic reported that Donald Trump Jr. told President Donald Trump he opposed the U.S. war in Iran.
The magazine cited two people who said they had spoken directly with Trump Jr. They said his opposition dated to the start of the war. His spokesman declined to comment to The Atlantic, and the White House did not answer the magazine’s questions about his position.
Pew Research Center surveyed 5,062 U.S. adults from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4. It found 65% disapproved of Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict, while 33% approved. Approval among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents was 63%, compared with 69% in March.
In the same survey, 73% said they were extremely or very concerned about higher gas and fuel prices related to the conflict. Another 71% were extremely or very concerned about U.S. troops being wounded or killed.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted Oct. 16-19 asked registered voters which candidate position mattered most in deciding their congressional vote. Cost of living ranked first: 47% chose a candidate’s position on that issue as the single most important factor. The survey separately found that 31% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s overall job performance, a measure distinct from Pew’s question about Iran.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration listed the national average retail price for all grades and formulations of gasoline at $4.424 a gallon on Oct. 19. That was below the $4.471 recorded a week earlier but above the $2.925 listed for Jan. 5. The price data do not establish how much of the change was caused by the war.
A White House official told The Atlantic the conflict would end soon. The Federal Election Commission lists Nov. 3 as the next regularly scheduled federal general election.
