February 26, 2026
As tensions between the United States and Iran rise, many express concern about the threat Iran’s nuclear program poses to the U.S., and few trust the president’s ability to make the right decisions about foreign affairs.
Eighty percent of adults express at least a moderate degree of concern that Iran’s nuclear program poses a direct threat to the U.S., including 48% who are very or extremely concerned. Sixty-one percent of the public consider Iran an enemy of the U.S., while very few view the country as friendly or as a close ally. In contrast, 54% describe Israel as a close ally.
When it comes to his handling of foreign affairs, most do not trust Donald Trump to make the right decisions about international military action (56%) or the use of nuclear weapons (59%). The public is similarly skeptical when it comes to his handling of relationships with both U.S. allies and adversaries, with 56% and 55%, respectively, expressing little to no trust.
Trust in Trump’s decision making on international issues is starkly divided along partisan lines with Republicans more likely than Democrats or independents to have faith in the president’s judgment. Ninety-two percent of Democrats and 65% of independents have little or no trust in Trump’s ability to make the right decisions on the use of nuclear weapons compared with 20% of Republicans. There are similar partisan divisions when it comes to use of military force abroad and relationships with other countries.
The nationwide poll was conducted February 19-23, 2026 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,133 adults. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 4.0 percentage points.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Trust in Trump’s decision making on the use of military force overseas is low” (February 2026). https://apnorc.org/projects/trust-in-trumps-decision-making-on-the-use-of-military-force-overseas-is-low/
