As President Donald J. Trump prepares for a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Alaska, new polling data reportedly reveals a significant shift among Republicans toward greater support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, appearing on Friday morning with anchor Kate Bolduan, acknowledged even he was “shocked” by the findings.
The data, drawn from multiple national surveys, shows that Republican attitudes toward U.S. assistance for Ukraine have undergone a marked transformation in recent months.
“What a big change from where we were at the beginning of the Trump administration,” Enten said, pointing to Pew Research Center numbers from February showing that 47 percent of Republicans believed the United States was giving “too much” support to Ukraine.
That figure has now dropped to 30 percent. In the same period, the share of Republicans who said Ukraine was not receiving “too much” U.S. support rose from 30 percent to 46 percent.
“We have had an inverse of the positions,” Enten explained. “The Republican Party has shifted at least a little bit on Ukraine, and now all of a sudden they don’t believe that, in fact, the U.S. gives too much support to Ukraine, which is very much unlike what we saw in February. Rarely do I see poll numbers like this.”
The findings challenge a common media narrative that GOP voters remain overwhelmingly skeptical of Ukraine aid. “You read the blogosphere, you read X, you might think that Republicans think that we’re way too much in Ukraine’s camp,” Enten said. “But Republicans at large no longer believe that.”
One of the most notable changes comes in the area of military assistance.
Citing data from the Chicago Council, Enten noted that in March just 30 percent of Republicans said the U.S. should be supplying more weapons and military equipment to Ukraine.
That number has now surged to 51 percent — a majority position.
“Americans and Republicans are much more on the side of Ukraine than they used to be,” Enten observed. “It is quite the switcheroo from where we were just a few months ago.”
The late-July Chicago Council survey also revealed a rare bipartisan point of agreement: a deep mistrust and dislike of Vladimir Putin.
According to the poll, 84 percent of Republicans hold an unfavorable view of the Russian leader, a sentiment shared by 93 percent of Democrats.
“You rarely ever find Democrats and Republicans united as much as they are on the issue of Vladimir Putin,” Enten said. “The bottom line is they don’t trust him and they don’t like him.”
For the Trump administration, which has emphasized strong leadership in foreign affairs while pressing for fair burden-sharing among allies, the polling could signal an opening to solidify bipartisan consensus on countering Russian aggression.
As Trump heads into talks with Putin, he does so backed by a Republican electorate increasingly willing to support Ukraine — a shift that could strengthen his negotiating hand while underscoring America’s unified rejection of Moscow’s hostile actions.
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