Harry Enten said of support of the presidents amid the war

 

CNN polling guru shocked Trump's approval ratings over Biden on Russia-Ukraine are on a 'different planet'

CNN senior political data reporter Harry Enten said Monday that President Donald Trump is performing "considerably better" than former President Biden on the war in Ukraine.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's encounter with Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House turned into a shouting match witnessed globally. The encounter went awry after Zelenskyy started quarreling with Trump and Vance. While most Democratic Party leaders were appalled, most Republicans and voters in general support Trump's handling of this foreign war.

On Monday, Enten discussed how polling suggests Americans have dramatically changed over the last few years in what they think about the current conflict in Ukraine.

"I believe the simplest way we can sort of just ask this is, 'Do Americans approve of the way Trump is doing his job and how they felt about Joe Biden?' So this is the net approval rating," he explained as he pointed to a CBS News/YouGov poll chart comparing the way voters liked both presidents handled the Russia-Ukraine situation in office.

CNN's polling expert expressed his surprise at the wide margin by which Americans approve of Trump's approach to Ukraine versus that of his predecessor.

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"Back in 2024, Joe Biden was 22 points down, holy cow!" he commented, before motioning to the way Trump posts a positive net rating. "You look at Donald Trump. It's another planet altogether, I mean, the difference here between these two is greater than the Gulf of America, or Mexico, take your pick where you sit. He's up two."

"So look, at this point in time, Americans are giving Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt," he said. "He's doing much better than Joe Biden was doing on dealing with the Russia-Ukraine situation and so on this basic question, I believe Americans are saying, 'Okay, Donald Trump is doing okay on this!'"

CNN anchor Kate Bolduan then pressed him to demonstrate the way Americans feel regarding ending the war. 

He pointed out that a "bare majority," 50%, of the Americans Gallup surveyed desire a quick resolution to the war in which Russia gets to keep occupied territory, while 48% prefer that Ukraine continue fighting.

Although this appears to be a neck-and-neck outcome at the time, Enten clarified that "the trend line on this question is so important," since those who desired a swift conclusion to the war were only at 31% in 2022.

"Now we're at 50%. I mean, that is a rocket ship upwards in terms of the Americans who desire a swift conclusion to the war, even if it means Russia gets to keep the conquered Ukraine territory. Americans are increasingly inching their way towards a compromise, even if it means that Ukraine doesn't quite get what it initially wanted, at least the start of this war."

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as U.S. Vice President JD Vance reacts at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025.  (REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo)"Americans' opinions of Russia are also changing," Bolduan noted.

"Absolutely. I mean, one of the reasons we're seeing this is Americans who say 'Russia is an enemy,' you go back to 2023, it was 64%, and that CBS News YouGov poll? It was down to 34%."

Enten explained that although there is still a segment of the American public who feel that Russia is an enemy country, "the percentage who think that they're either an ally or friendly, that's up to 34% as well, roughly equal to the percentage who say that they're an enemy."

President Zelenskyy and President Trump have had a tumultuous relationship amid the war in Ukraine. (Photos supplied by Getty Images)

He then argued that this shifting attitude toward Russia, ultimately, is why Americans are willing to support a compromise to end the war.

"What happens is that opinion about Russia has become, sort of, slightly less isolated on the desire to have Russia over there by itself, believing they're an adversary," the CNN polling expert observed. "And at this hour, they are beginning to notice Russia a little bit more agreeable, and I think this is one reason why Americans prefer to see an accommodation at this specific hour."