More than half of U.S. adults say the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is going well, according to a new poll.
Fifty-three percent in the CBS News poll released Thursday said they are optimistic about the conflict. Nine percent said the fight is going “very well,” while 44 percent responded “somewhat well.”
CBS said the new results are the most positive response from Americans about the struggle with ISIS since it began polling on the issue in 2014.
Forty-three percent see the issue negatively, however, with 25 percent saying it is going “somewhat badly” and 18 percent responding “very badly” instead.
Pollsters also discovered more respondents are skeptical of President Trump’s abilities as commander in chief.
{mosads}Fifty-three percent said they lack confidence in Trump’s military leadership, with 17 percent responding they are “not too confident” and 35 percent “not at all confident.”
Forty-six percent have some confidence, with 26 percent “very confident” in Trump and 20 percent “somewhat confident.”
Reports emerged Wednesday that Trump has authorized Defense Secretary James Mattis to set the maximum number of U.S. troops to be deployed in Iraq and Syria.
One defense official supporting the move said it would give “more flexibility” to U.S. commanders in the fight against ISIS.
But critics argue the move will reduce transparency over how Trump’s administration is deploying its armed forces.
CBS News conducted its latest survey 1,214 U.S. adults via cellphone and landline telephone interviews from April 21 to 24. It has a 3 percentage point margin of error.