Most voters say that the Islamic State terrorist group is not defeated in Syria

Most voters say that the Islamic State terrorist group is not defeated in Syria

Few voters believe the Islamic militant group ISIS has been defeated in Syria, and a plurality supports keeping U.S. forces there, according to the latest Fox News Poll.

On December 19, President Trump declared “we have defeated ISIS in Syria” and ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

The poll, released Thursday, finds 12 percent of voters say ISIS has been defeated. Yet six times as many, 72 percent, disagree.

The president’s decision on Syria received negative responses from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. That included some close to him, like GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham.

“I would hope the president would look long and hard at where he’s headed in Syria,” Graham said. “I know people are frustrated, but we’re never going to be safe here unless we’re willing to help people over there who will stand up against this radical ideology.”

Majorities of Democrats (79 percent) and Republicans (67 percent) say ISIS is not defeated.

Democrats think U.S. troops should stay in Syria by a 20-point margin (52-32 percent) and Republicans say the same by 11 points (47-36 percent).

ISIS claimed responsibility for a January 16 suicide blast in Syria that killed four Americans.

Currently, 38 percent of voters approve of the job President Trump is doing on foreign policy, while 53 percent disapprove. He performs better on the economy (49-46 percent), border security (43-53 percent), and immigration (42-54 percent).

The president’s overall job rating stands at 43-54 percent. Last month, before the partial government shutdown, it was 46-52 percent.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cellphone interviews with 1,008 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) (formerly named Anderson Robbins Research) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from January 20-22, 2019. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters.

Source: Fox News