Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed the assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani last week made the United States safer, but a new poll published Thursday found that a majority of the American public disagrees and believes the White House's behavior toward Iran has been "reckless."
According to the national USA Today/Ipsos survey, conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, 55% of the public believes the assassination of Soleimani made the U.S. either somewhat or much less safe, while just 24% said the killing made the country more safe. Sixty-two percent of respondents said they believe Soleimani's assassination made it more likely the U.S. would go to war with Iran.
The survey also found that 52% the public believes the Trump administration's Iran policies have been "reckless."
The poll suggests the U.S. public isn't buying the Trump administration's justification for assassinating Soleimani, who the White House claims--without offering a shred of evidence--was plotting "imminent" attacks on American forces in Iraq.
"One hundred percent certainty that America is safer today," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday.
The poll comes as thousands are set to take to the streets at more than 350 locations across the U.S. for "No War With Iran" demonstrations.
"Trump's reckless action has needlessly endangered countless lives of U.S. troops, Iraqis, Iranians, and countless other civilians. The devastation that a war with Iran could bring upon the earth and humanity cannot be overstated," said the anti-war coalition that organized the mass demonstrations. "We are the majority. We stand united. And we oppose Trump's war with Iran."
