More than half of Republicans agree with President Trump’s decision to pull troops out of northeastern Syria, according to a new Economist/YouGov weekly tracking poll.
Of respondents who self-identified as Republicans, 25 percent said they strongly approve of the troop withdrawal, while 32 percent said they somewhat approve. A combined 26 percent of the Republican respondents said they disapprove on some level while 18 percent had no opinion.
{mosads}The poll comes as Trump has faced fierce criticism from a number of Republicans, including some of his most ardent allies, over the troop withdrawal.
The poll’s results are less favorable for Trump among Democrats and independents, with 76 percent of Democrats saying they strongly or somewhat disapprove of the withdrawal and 46 percent of independents saying they disagree with the move, with only 27 percent in favor.
Trump sparked a firestorm in Washington this month when he announced U.S. troops would withdraw from northeastern Syria in anticipation of a Turkish offensive against U.S.-aligned Kurdish groups in the area. Bipartisan lawmakers on Capitol Hill have said the move lifted the chief deterrent to the operation and leaves allies to slaughter.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), typically a staunch Trump ally and defense hawk, said the decision is a “disaster in the making” that “ensures [an] ISIS comeback” and “will be a stain on America’s honor for abandoning the Kurds.”
The administration has defended its military withdrawals so far, saying leaving troops in the area would have put them at risk.
“Due to Turkey’s irresponsible actions, the risk to U.S. forces in northeast Syria has reached an unacceptable level. We are also at risk of being engulfed in a broader conflict,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement, adding that “a small footprint” of U.S. forces will remain at the al-Tanf garrison in southern Syria “to continue to disrupt remnants of ISIS.”
The lack of a U.S. presence in the area has also sparked fears about an ISIS resurgence, as Kurdish groups that were detaining members of the group are now focusing on fighting back against Turkey.
Reports have already surfaced of hundreds of ISIS supporters escaping detention, with the biggest incident occurring when 785 ISIS supporters had escaped a detention camp at Ein Eissa after a Turkish shelling, though that figure has yet to be independently verified.
“He will have American blood on his hands if he abandons Kurds because ISIS will come back. And if any American is killed anywhere because of a resurgent ISIS, it will fall on [the] Trump administration,” said Graham.
The Economist/YouGov poll surveyed 1,500 Americans from Oct. 13-15 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.