Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776390848617HGDajvQWgAAhN9r.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Donald Trump. White House/X</span></span></span></div><p>President Donald Trump said Thursday the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/17/trump-says-iran-agrees-to-hand-over-its-enriched-uranium-0815">US war with Iran</a> was a &quot;little diversion&quot; during his second term in power, as recent polling shows the conflict&#x27;s unpopularity with the American public.</p><p>At an event in Las Vegas, Nevada touting his &quot;no tax on tips&quot; 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.</p><p>&quot;We had the best economy in the history of our country in my first term. And we&#x27;re blowing it out now...And despite our little diversion to the lovely country of Iran, lovely place,&quot; Trump told the crowd of supporters.</p><p>&quot;But we had to do that, because otherwise, bad things could happen, the really bad thing,&quot; he continued, referencing<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/17/trump-says-iran-agrees-to-hand-over-its-enriched-uranium-0815"> Iran&#x27;s apparent nuclear potential.</a></p><p>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.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/17/trump-says-israel-lebanon-agree-to-10-day-ceasefire-0050">Trump says Israel, Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire </a></div><p>Less than a quarter of respondents, 24 percent, said the opposite.</p><p>Another recent poll published Wednesday by Quinnipiac University found 65 percent of US voters blame Trump for the recent rise in <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/4/16/big-rollbacks-expected-again-next-week-1438">gas prices</a> prompted by the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/15/us-blockade-of-hormuz-tests-china-s-restraint-1512">Strait of Hormuz</a> closing since the start of the Iran war.</p><p>The same poll reported only 36 percent of voters approved how Trump was handling the situation with Iran, while 58 percent disapproved.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/16/pope-leo-decries-world-ravaged-by-tyrants-2340">Pope Leo decries world &#x27;ravaged by tyrants&#x27; </a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EGo5GJgm_eM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NFpKObhWtX0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>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.</p>

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.

Trump characterizes Iran war as a 'little diversion'

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Trump characterizes Iran war as a 'little diversion'

Agence France-Presse

Published April 17, 2026 09:56 AM PHT

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