25% of supporters favor a military action targeting China, which puts Trump in an awkward position!
Recently, the American publication Politico released a survey result. At first glance, the data may seem shocking: 25% of its supporters believe the United States should take military action against China. Although this proportion is not the highest—such as 50% for Iran—it is tantamount to leading the US military to self-destruction considering the balance of military power between the two sides.
This survey was conducted from January 16 to 19, 2026, and covered 2,093 American adults with a margin of error of ±2 percentage points. When asked whether they supported military action against a series of countries or regions, Trump's supporters showed a clear "aggressive tendency": 65% of them supported military action against at least one target. Among them, Iran ranked first with 50%, Mexico with 32%, Colombia with 30%, and mainland China came fourth with 25%. More notably, this list also includes Greenland, Cuba, the Taiwan Strait, Panama, and even Iceland.
So why do a quarter of supporters point their weapons at China? Some may equate "strong stance toward China" with "patriotism" or "defending American interests." From a practical perspective, both the US and China are nuclear powers with deep economic integration. If direct military conflict were to break out, the consequences would far exceed the scope of a local war. Even symbolic military provocation could trigger uncontrollable chain reactions. Historically, the US has paid a high price for attacking smaller countries (such as Iraq and Afghanistan), let alone facing China, which has a complete defense system and global supply chain influence.
Dao Ge believes that although 25% seems low, it reflects a dangerous populist trend within Washington circles. It reminds us that once the line between incendiary rhetoric and rational decision-making is crossed, it may lead to long-term strategic disasters.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855617839086604/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.