A majority of Americans now see North Korea as the most significant threat to the United States, while their fear of the Islamic State has plummeted, according to a new poll from NBC News and Survey Monkey.
The poll reveals that 54 percent of Americans now believe North Korea poses the greatest immediate threat to the U.S., compared to just 19 percent who believe it remains the Islamic State.
This data represents a shift from July when 41 percent of Americans cited North Korea was the greatest immediate threat and 28 percent said it was ISIS.
A consensus was also spread across party lines, with a majority of Republicans (53 percent), Republican-leaners, independents (53 percent) and Democrats and Democratic-leaners (55 percent) agreeing on the immediate threats.
The shift in opinion is likely a result of escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, while the U.S.-led coalition in the Middle East continues to make significant gains against the Islamic State.
Just this week, the USS Ronald Reagan, a 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, began patrolling waters east of the Korean peninsula, in what is intended as a demonstration of military strength to warn North Korea against any potential attack.
North Korea has since responded to the show of force by warning that the U.S. should “expect an unimaginable strike at an unimaginable time.”
President Donald Trump has previously suggested that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is “wasting his time trying to negotiate with little rocket man,” adding that he will “do what has to be done”:
I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
…Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
The same polling data shows 64 percent of Americans favor a diplomatic solution to the crisis, compared to just 32 percent who favor a military one.
56 percent of Americans also disapprove of the way Trump is handling tensions with North Korea, compared to just 40 percent who approve of his leadership on the issue.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the U.S.-led coalition celebrated victory over the Islamic State in the Syrian city of Raqqa, while forces in the Philippines also expelled the terror group from their stronghold of Marawi. Analysts say that the victories have broken the caliphate from a terror state back into a terrorist organization.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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