Protesters gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall on March 2 to oppose U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran. The conflict with Iran shows no clear endpoint. President Trump has at times declared ‘We won’ while also warning the U.S. could be engaged for an extended period. There has been little of the traditional rally‑’round‑the‑flag surge for the president, and history suggests a drawn‑out military campaign can become a political liability.
After two decades of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Americans are wary of prolonged U.S. military involvement abroad, including segments of Trump’s base. Foreign policy seldom tops voters’ priority lists, but military operations that go on too long or are mishandled have repeatedly harmed presidents politically, in addition to the human cost. Examples from modern presidencies illustrate that pattern.
Harry Truman
Truman famously said the buck stopped with him, and he carried the political consequences of the Korean War. Gallup archives show he was among the worst‑polling 20th‑century presidents, with an approval rating of 22% in February 1952. The Korean conflict lasted years and cost more than 36,000 U.S. service members’ lives.
Lyndon B. Johnson
LBJ began his presidency with strong public support — approval was around 78% early on — but Vietnam became a political and personal trap. By August 1968 his approval had fallen to roughly 35%. Despite major domestic accomplishments, the war eroded his standing and helped prompt his decision not to run for another term, while also taking a toll on his health.
Jimmy Carter
The Iran hostage crisis produced a short‑lived boost for Carter, who was already struggling with inflation and an energy crisis. A failed rescue attempt in April 1980, when a helicopter crashed in a sandstorm and eight service members died, precipitated a steep approval drop from about 43% to 31% by June. The crisis reinforced impressions of weak leadership; the hostages were released on the day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.
George W. Bush
The 9/11 attacks brought a massive surge of support for George W. Bush, with approval near 90% and broad backing for early action in Afghanistan. But the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the long occupation proved politically costly. Although Bush won reelection in 2004, continued violence, mounting costs and later the financial crisis drove his approval into the low 30s and then the mid‑20s.
Joe Biden
Biden’s decision to end America’s longest war culminated in a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Thirteen U.S. service members were killed in an attack during the evacuation, and the chaotic images of the exit undermined a key campaign argument about competent, steady leadership. His approval slipped from the mid‑50s in June 2021 to the low‑40s by September and did not recover quickly.
These episodes show that military engagements lacking clear, achievable end states can undercut presidential standing, even when they begin with public support. Beyond the human toll, prolonged or poorly managed wars have repeatedly produced serious political consequences for U.S. presidents.