Unsurprisingly, Americans Back Trump Over Zelenskyy

Two polls have been released since the Trump/Vance/Zelenskyy dustup, and neither look good for Volodymyr Zelenskyy (a man who needs an easier name to spell). 

One of the polls was more generic, done by YouGov and explained by the very capable Harry Enten on CNN. It very clearly shows that while Americans are split on how far we should support Ukraine, Trump’s approval on handling the war is 24 points higher than Biden’s. 

A little bit of a reality check for some:

-Trump’s net approval on Russia/Ukraine (+2) is far more positive than Biden’s was by the end (-22).
-The share (31% to 50%) who want a compromise in the war is way up
-The share who say Russia is an enemy is way down (64% to 34%). pic.twitter.com/z6k0x6A1yn

— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) March 3, 2025

There is, by no metric, good news for the forever war faction of the transnational elite. While the same people who have been posting Ukrainian flags on their social media profiles remain totally committed and are still angry at Trump for wanting to end the war, the American people as a whole are tiring of the war and would like to see it resolved. 

The more interesting poll is a bit weird, and is better in some ways and worse in others when it comes to reliability. 

EXCLUSIVE: Poll & “Diner” Conversation on the Oval Office Fracas

What was the immediate reaction of American voters to what happened with Trump, Vance, and Zelensky on Friday?

On our popup @2waytvapp episode tonight, we got one of the only indications you will see anywhere to…

— Mark Halperin (@MarkHalperin) March 2, 2025

The poll is done by the always interesting 2Way, a show run by Mark Halperin. Mark has done an outstanding job covering politics on his show, and this show was fascinating. 

I encourage you to watch the show, but I will give you a quick rundown of how the poll was done and what they found. 

The distinctive thing about this poll was that after some more general questions were asked, voters were required to watch an 11-minute clip of the confrontation between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance. While not as good as having them watch the entire exchange, it puts more context into the conversation than most media coverage provides. 

The results weren’t good for Zelenskyy’s supporters. Although Americans by a small margin like Zelenskyy, they thought he was rude, didn’t have the cards to negotiation what he wants, and that the war needs to end. In short, they agree with Trump even if they don’t care for him. 

31% of Americans think Ukraine should fight to the bitter end, which is about what you would expect if you ignored the Pravda Media and understood American politics in the least. Americans don’t like long wars in the least, and enthusiasm for wars declines relatively quickly. Trump got elected on a platform of negotiations, and both this poll and the YouGov poll show declining support for continued fighting.

Similarly, Americans don’t support Zelenskyy’s maximalist goals of winning back Ukraine and the Donbas. They are not hostile to Ukraine, but want Zelenskyy to be realistic about his goals.

Almost every hard-core supporter of Ukraine I have spoken to says that their plan to end the war amounts to pushing Putin out of ever inch of Ukraine pre-2014 and deposing Putin. That is not a strategy, but a pipedream. 

Zelenskyy has banked a lot of goodwill in the United States. I have marveled at his skill in rallying support, and the Pravda Media’s propaganda campaign has helped dramatically. And in this case I am using “propaganda” as a descriptive term, not a pejorative. Zelenskyy’s job is to make himself look good to people, and until recently he has been masterful, mostly.

Now here is where the rubber meets the road. After watching the video of the conflict in the Oval, what did Americans come away thinking? Their opinion of Zelenskyy was not dramatically changed, but their opinion about his demands were negative. 

Zelenskyy’s maximalist demands didn’t go over that well. People who dislike Trump dislike Trump, but if you look Zelenskyy persuaded nobody to his side. His supporters likely hardened their support because they think Trump bullied him, but people open to persuasion were not persuaded away from Trump’s position.

Worse for Zelenskyy, Americans didn’t take too kindly to his demeanor and the insistence that America will be dragged into the war one way or another. When your words are described as “offensive,” that is a bad bad thing if you are coming hat in hand.

No doubt Zelenskyy is angry at how the words of Europeans and of Biden being at odds with their promises, but he was stupid to demand Trump cash the checks that others have written. Trump ran on ending the war, and insulting America to prod him into breaking his promises was insane. 

And lastly, America has little doubt about who holds the cards, and implied in that answer is that Zelenskyy should take what he can get and thank us for the help.

They’ve still learned nothing since the election. https://t.co/AnyaE1CIaU

— IT Guy (@ITGuy1959) March 3, 2025

There is a huge disconnect between the impression the media is pushing that Americans are ashamed of Trump and the reality that most Americans agree with the president. Whether they like Trump’s aggression on the matter or would prefer a more “diplomatic” (smoother) approach doesn’t change the fact that people want out of this war, and don’t appreciate Volodymyr insulting the president and vice president. 

None of this should surprise you that much. The influence of the media has diminished and elite opinion has been dramatically split from ordinary voters for quite a while. 

If the Democrats think that playing this up in the longer term will help them recover their popularity, early indications are that they once again are mistaken.