CNN’s Harry Enten delivered a sobering dose of reality on Monday, presenting data that underscores a dramatic shift in American sentiment regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict and highlighting President Donald Trump’s significant advantage over Joe Biden on foreign policy approval.
Enten, known for his straight-talking analysis, wasted no time in laying out the numbers. “Joe Biden, back in 2024, was 22 points underwater on handling the Russia-Ukraine war,” he explained. “Holy cow! You look at Donald Trump, it’s just a different planet entirely.”
According to CBS News/YouGov polling, Trump currently holds a +2 net approval rating on the issue—a stark contrast to Biden’s disastrous -22 by the end of his presidency.
The most striking shift, however, is not just in presidential approval numbers but in how Americans view the war itself.
In early 2024, 64% of Americans viewed Russia as an enemy. That number has now plummeted to 34%, while the percentage of Americans who see Russia as either a friend or an ally has climbed.
Meanwhile, support for a compromise solution has surged from 31% to 50%, meaning half of the country now believes Ukraine should negotiate peace even if it means ceding captured territory to Russia.
“Now we’re at 50%,” Enten emphasized. “That is a rocket ship upwards in terms of the Americans who want a quick end to the war, even if it means Russia keeps the captured Ukraine land.”
The polling data aligns with Trump’s long-standing argument that the Biden administration’s “blank check” approach to Ukraine was unsustainable and that a negotiated peace should be the priority.
This shift in public opinion comes just days after a tense White House meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting, intended to discuss continued U.S. military aid, quickly turned confrontational as Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance challenged Zelenskyy’s strategy and questioned whether the U.S. should keep footing the bill for an open-ended conflict.
Trump, who has long argued that Europe should be taking more responsibility for the war on its doorstep, refused to commit to additional U.S. assistance and told Zelenskyy he should focus on brokering a deal with Moscow.
Zelenskyy, in turn, warned that Ukraine’s fight was also America’s fight—an argument that once resonated with the American public but is now falling on deaf ears.
