As President Trump weighs his options over how to respond to international events such as news out of Iran and North Korea, he’ll surely do so with an eye toward how his decisions will be received by the American public. But lest anyone think that the president has a feel for the pulse of the American people, it’s helpful to note that U.S. foreign policy opinion leaders wrongly predict public attitudes on a variety of issues, including international trade, military intervention and immigration.
Generally, research finds foreign policy opinion leaders believe the American public wants to pull back from international engagement and to spend less money on foreign aid and contributions to international organizations and prefers unilateral to multilateral approaches. Public opinion surveys show otherwise.
That disconnect continues. CONT.
Joshua Busby, Dina Smeltz & Jordan Tama, Monkey Cage