‘Peacemaker’ Paradox: Poll Finds Americans Believe Trump Making Ukraine War Worse

WASHINGTON DC – The second-term Trump administration’s signature foreign policy brand – the decisive, unpredictable “Reckless Peacemaker” – is facing a multi-front domestic political crisis, according to a new poll conducted by the Institute for Global Affairs (IGA) at the Eurasia Group.  

While the political focus has remained fixed on the disaster in Ukraine, a striking net 19% of Americans believe the administration is making the war worse. The public’s discontent extends to the very structure of executive power and a critical geopolitical rival.

Nine months into the administration, the IGA survey finds deep public resistance to the President’s unilateral impulses, even as those impulses have reshaped the Republican Party’s stance on war powers.

Imperial presidency meets the people

In a repudiation of the “Imperial Presidency,” nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans oppose presidential use of military force overseas without approval from Congress.

This sentiment cuts across the electorate but is most pronounced on the left, with 94% of Democrats demanding congressional approval for military action.

The most politically explosive finding, however, is the radical realignment of the Republican base: Before President Trump returned to office, 77% of GOP respondents thought Congress needed to approve military action abroad. That number has plummeted to just 50%.

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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected reports of dwindling US weapons stockpiles, calling them a “manufactured story.” He said inventories remain strong despite criticism over the cost of the Iran war and concerns that support for Ukraine and Middle East operations have depleted supplies of key munitions.

The 27-point drop (77% to 50%) reveals a dramatic constitutional shift in lockstep with the President’s expansive view of executive authority.

The “America First” movement, which once promised to end “forever wars,” now appears willing to grant the President virtually unchecked authority to start new ones.

This puts the White House on a collision course with a majority of the American public – and with its own party’s historic position – as it continues to expand military operations in places like the Western Hemisphere.

Ukraine, Russia, and Chinese headache

The policy on Ukraine, where the administration’s transactional diplomacy is yielding a net -19% rating on making the war worse, is just one part of the global disappointment.

The IGA survey, which asked Americans to grade the administration on 13 foreign policy issues, reveals that the worst perceived failure is not Moscow, but Beijing.

Americans rated Trump’s performance on tensions with China as his worst-performing foreign policy issue out of all 13 surveyed.

This deep disapproval, with a net negative rating of -38% underscores the difficulty the administration faces in managing what most analysts identify as the foremost geopolitical challenge of the century.

The combined data paints a picture of a foreign policy apparatus that is not only failing to deliver on its promise of stability – whether in Ukraine or in Asia – but is actively undermining traditional checks on presidential power, with the public deeply skeptical on all counts.