Obama Gets Low Marks for His Handling of Iran
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Only one in three Americans approve of his handling of Iran
- Approval of handling of race relations ticks down below 50%
- Though improved, approval of handling of immigration still low
Only one in three Americans approve of President Barack Obama's handling of the situation in Iran -- his lowest rating of eight issues measured in a new Gallup survey. The president's policy toward Iran has been a major focus as he tries to drum up support for the multi-national agreement to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities that Secretary of State John Kerry helped broker. Obama earns his highest marks on race relations, education and climate change, though he does not receive majority approval on any.
Obama's overall approval rating in the poll is 47%. As such, he is rated better for doing his job overall than he is for handling any specific issue, though some of the differences in ratings are within the margin of error. That includes a 41% approval rating for handling the economy and 39% approval on foreign affairs.
These data are from an Aug. 5-9 Gallup poll, conducted as Congress debates the Iran nuclear deal, which has challenged the usual Democratic allegiances the president has on the hill. As recently as February, Americans gave Iran the lowest favorable rating of 22 countries, and a strong majority felt Iran's development of nuclear weapons posed a "critical" threat to the U.S.