The New View on American Defense
This post is part of IGA’s new report on American public attitudes, War President. Read the executive summary here. Click here to return to the first chapter.
Americans are increasingly uneasy with the executive branch’s unilateral exertion of power. Support is thin for the Trump administration’s use of the military and concentrated among Republicans. Majorities back congressional war authority and want a smaller military budget, and the public is increasingly skittish of the president’s mercurial approach to diplomacy and war.
1. Military budget skepticism grows: Among Americans who weighed in on military spending levels, more want lawmakers to decrease (55%) military spending than those that want to maintain (33%) or increase (12%) it combined.
2. Americans back Congress’ war powers: Most Americans say the president should not be able to launch military action abroad without approval from Congress (61%). But the share of Republicans with an opinion who believe Congressional approval is needed has dropped 18 points since last October and 47 points since the final year of the Biden administration.
3. Trump too reliant on military: offered a dozen adjectives, Americans most frequently describe Trump as reckless (33%), erratic (26%), and destructive (26%). Most think he uses the military too much (55%) and that his administration has made the world less safe (54%).
We posted these questions to respondents when the Iran war was in its ninth week. When our survey was in the field, it had cost the government an estimated $25 billion, though experts assess the costs to be much higher. President Trump launched attacks against Iran without authorization from Congress and has since resisted calls from some lawmakers to seek such approval. Meanwhile, the administration has proposed an increase of the military budget from last year’s record-breaking $1 trillion to nearly $1.5 trillion. Trump has done little to market his national security policy to the public, even as he asks them to bear many of its costs.
Amid raging debates in Washington over President Trump’s authorities and image, we asked members of the public where they stand.
Each year, we ask Americans to weigh in on total US military spending from the previous year. Last year’s question described the budget as “nearly $1 trillion”; this year’s noted that it had “exceeded $1 trillion for the first time” — phrasing which emphasized the unprecedented scale of the budget. We also offered “not sure” as a response option for the first time.
A plurality of Americans think lawmakers should decrease the military budget (47%), as compared to less than a third who think they should maintain it (28%), and a small number who think they should increase it (10%). That’s a sharp decline from last October in those who support maintaining current spending (-22 percentage points) with a smaller rise in those who support decreasing it (+7 percentage points).
Three quarters of Democrats think lawmakers should decrease the military budget (74%), compared to half of independents (48%) and less than one fifth of Republicans (16%). A plurality of Republicans think lawmakers should maintain current military spending (47%), with about half as many who say lawmakers should raise it (23%).
The balance between executive and congressional authority over military action is another recurring focus of our polling, and this question’s framing has shifted across waves as we’ve tried to measure attitudes on a fundamental yet legally tangled concept.
Among Americans who expressed a view, most think the president should seek approval from Congress before ordering military action overseas (69%), however this is a decline from last October (-6 percentage points).
That decline was primarily driven by Republicans, among whom few think the president should seek congressional approval (32%) compared with last October (-18 percentage points) or the final year of the Biden administration (-47 percentage points). This year, a majority of Republicans with a firm opinion think the president should be able to order military action without approval from Congress (68%).
Although most independents support congressional war authority (59%), that is a sharp decline from last October (-20%). Less than a fifth of independents support unilateral presidential powers (17%), with roughly a quarter unsure (24%).
In the latest survey, nearly all Democrats support congressional war authority (93%), as well as a majority of Independents (59%).
Most Americans think Trump uses the military too much (55%) and few think he should use it more (4%). Almost all Democrats say Trump uses the military too much (90%); a majority of independents (57%) and a small share of Republicans agree (17%). Most Republicans think the president uses the military just the right amount (63%) and a quarter of independents agree (18%).
Out of 12 descriptors for President Trump, a plurality of Americans (33%), independents (34%), and a majority of Democrats (54%) describe him as reckless. Among Democrats, the other two most popular descriptors are destructive (46%) or erratic (39%); among independents, it’s inversely erratic (31%) or destructive (23%). Half of Republicans describe Trump as tough (50%) or intelligent (47%).
The major statistical trend was the decline in usage of peacemaker, which saw statistically significant drops among the general public (-7 percentage points), independents (-10 percentage points), and Republicans (‑14 percentage points). This did not correlate with a commensurate rise in the use of the opposite descriptor warmonger, which saw a very slight upward trend (+3%).
This year, Americans as a whole most frequently describe Trump as reckless (33%), erratic (26%), destructive (26%), or tough (23%). The data mostly mirrors findings from last October. There were slight shifts in some descriptors, but most changes were statistically insignificant.
Most say President Trump’s second-term policies have made the world less safe.
Most Americans think the Trump administration’s policies have made the US less safe (54%). That’s driven by the vast majority of Democrats (86%), most Independents (56%), and a fifth of Republicans (18%).
Most Americans think the Trump administration’s policies have made the US less safe (54%). That’s driven by the vast majority of Democrats (86%), most Independents (56%), and a fifth of Republicans (18%).
A third of Americans think the administration’s policies have made the US safer (31%). That includes the vast majority of Republicans (68%) and a fifth of independents (19%). Some Americans are unsure (14%), including a quarter of Independents (25%) and a few Republicans (14%).
Most Americans think other countries have less respect for the United States under the Trump administration (55%). That’s driven by the vast majority of Democrats (85%), most independents (54%), and a fifth of Republicans (22%).
A fifth of Americans think other countries have more respect for the US under Trump (20%). That’s almost entirely driven by roughly half of Republicans (47%).
A quarter of Americans are unsure or think that other countries’ respect for the United States is more or less the same under Trump (25%). That includes two fifths of independents (39%) and a third of Republicans (32%).
Most Americans think the United States should prioritize renewable energy over fossil fuels (56%). That’s driven by the vast majority of Democrats (80%), half of independents (48%), and a third of Republicans (33%).
A quarter of Americans think the US should prioritize fossil fuels over renewable energy (24%). That includes half of Republicans (51%) and roughly a fifth of independents (17%).
A fifth of Americans are unsure (20%). That’s almost entirely driven by a third of independents (35%).
This post is part of Independent America, a research program led out by Jonathan Guyer, which seeks to explore how US foreign policy could better be tailored to new global realities and to the preferences of American voters.
