We asked, you answered: How are you evaluating Trump?

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President Donald Trump ordered a strike on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s supreme leader. Trump has often called himself a “president of peace” and, during his campaign, promised to end wars.

The military action comes as his overall approval rating is slipping. Multiple polls show it hovering around 40%, and most voters believe Trump is overstepping his authority.

What does this mean for the midterms?

Republican pollster Whit Ayres, speaking to Politico, said that presidential approval ratings have historically been strong indicators of midterm results:

“When it’s above 50 percent, the party loses seats but not that many. When the president’s job approval is below, the average loss of seats is 32, “Ayres told Politico.

This week we asked readers: How are you evaluating Trump? Here’s what they had to say…

“I would say the issue that matters to me the most in evaluating Trump is conducting yourself as a decent human being with integrity. He fails miserably.” — Jane Duggan

“Even if Donald Trump was still only a television host, he’d be a failure. As president, he drags the country down with him. Ask any MAGA how their lives have improved this last year. Not one can cite a credible reason—only repeating lies and conspiracies. Donald Trump will go down as the biggest black mark that this country has ever seen.” – Mike Gravel 

“Trump is a deeply flawed individual who is supported and directed by his advisors and donors. He did not develop Project 2025. The people who did were able to present Trump with an irresistible buffet of flattery, promises of greater wealth, and a glorious place in history. Every single Republican politician that has gone along with the playbook, the fawning, the egregious dismissal of laws and decency, is culpable. The Trump team may well try to meddle with voting outcomes, but I think these midterms will mean a big loss of seats for them.” — Tracy McCarthy 

“From a military standpoint, he has put people in charge who do not seem to know what they are doing or how to accomplish the end goal. To me, the Constitution is the most important thing, and its laws should be followed. As for the Epstein files, I believe he is doing whatever he can to cover up what is in those files and fears what E. Jean Carroll may say. As far as what I continue to see happening, I believe it is wrong, and we should treat people better, because we were all immigrants at one time or another.” — Charles Wetzel

“My personal belief is that these events are all connected. When the focus becomes predominantly the Epstein files, something else happens, such as the strikes on Iran. After the Clintons testify, the SAVE Act fails, Republicans call for the release of the Epstein files, and the tariff debacle and several other issues unfold, Trump bombs Iran, reportedly killing over 100 schoolchildren, failing to notify Congress, and leaving many American citizens extremely vulnerable by not ensuring their safe return to the United States. This administration overwhelmingly represents a chaotic three-ring circus, and citizens are caught in the middle. If the Epstein files are finally released, as they are legally obligated to do, it is my belief that we will have answers that allow us to proceed in the proper direction, restoring civil liberties and justice.” — Maggie

“All of the above, plus the fact that he’s going to try to hijack the election by claiming all sorts of conspiracy theories.” — David Masters

“It looks to me like Trump is single-handedly trying to end life on Earth — attacking environmental laws, dismantling agencies, and abandoning international agreements; undermining institutions like USAID in ways that appear indifferent to the suffering of tens of thousands of people; withdrawing from the World Health Organization and weakening the NIH and CDC in ways that could make the US more vulnerable to future pandemics. He has attacked Venezuela and Iran without Congressional approval and engaged in lethal actions against their people — including civilians — while failing to follow the constitutional process for war powers.
Through lawless ICE actions, the administration has detained and deported many immigrants who have not been charged with or convicted of a crime, according to available data showing a significant share of those arrested have no criminal record beyond civil immigration violations. Documentation for legal status is costly and can take years to acquire. Instead of making that process easier, the administration seems focused on exclusionary immigration enforcement — policies that many critics characterize as rooted in nativist and racially biased motivations, indifferent to the harm caused to families and to businesses losing workers. I assume he’s a major character in the Epstein files, but since when has he faced accountability for his many alleged crimes — including sexual assault allegations from multiple individuals, inciting violence on Jan. 6, discriminatory housing practices in the 1970s, and repeated falsehoods throughout his life? He has escaped consequences for a long history of abuse, theft, lying, and cheating. Why should that record of evasion stop now? Reagan was known as the ‘Teflon president’; Trump is like PFAS — a forever chemical slowly harming all of us.” — A.M. Cummings

“The issue I have with Trump can be summed up in one word: character. He has none. That drives everything else.” — J. Green

“His blatant lies, disregard for the law and disregard for science are the most troubling to me.” — Carol Staugaard

“The elimination of Ali Khamenei was not necessarily a bad thing for the Iranian people. However, removing a leader is easy; it is far more difficult to rebuild a democratic and favorable leadership afterward — and I don’t see the Trump administration taking any steps to do so. A power vacuum is a dangerous thing. Like every other aspect of his “leadership,” Trump has been abjectly apathetic toward the potential loss of American lives in this conflict. Not to mention, he completely circumvented Congress in making this decision. In my opinion, he acted without forethought about how to help the people of Iran or the country afterward. And, as with nearly everything else he has done, Trump’s motives in this conflict appear rooted in selfish purposes: pacifying Israel, drawing attention away from the Epstein files, maintaining control over fuel — whatever they may be. Nothing he has done has ever benefited the country unless it also aligned with his personal agenda. The hypocrisy of boasting about removing a “bad leader” while simultaneously considering ways to ignore the Constitution and stay in power beyond his term — despite over 60% of the country calling for his removal — is beyond belief.” — Denise C.

“The thing that bothers me most about Trump is that his mental illness leads to complete disregard for the Constitution and any law limiting his power. It also makes him vulnerable to manipulation by unscrupulous powers.” — JoAnn Carlson