Trump characterizes Iran war as a 'little diversion'

President Donald Trump said Thursday the US war with Iran was a "little diversion" during his second term in power, as recent polling shows the conflict's unpopularity with the American public.

At an event in Las Vegas, Nevada touting his "no tax on tips" measure from the major tax reform bill passed last year, the 79-year-old president boasted about his economic record since returning to office in 2025.

"We had the best economy in the history of our country in my first term. And we're blowing it out now...And despite our little diversion to the lovely country of Iran, lovely place," Trump told the crowd of supporters.

"But we had to do that, because otherwise, bad things could happen, the really bad thing," he continued, referencing Iran's apparent nuclear potential.

An Ipsos poll conducted last weekend found 51 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents thought the Iran war was not worth the costs associated with it.

Less than a quarter of respondents, 24 percent, said the opposite.

Another recent poll published Wednesday by Quinnipiac University found 65 percent of US voters blame Trump for the recent rise in gas prices prompted by the Strait of Hormuz closing since the start of the Iran war.

The same poll reported only 36 percent of voters approved how Trump was handling the situation with Iran, while 58 percent disapproved. 

AFP