Zelensky’s Popularity Plunges

Politics is a fickle business, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has lost the favor of sensible Americans, who demand that our focus and resources be devoted to the US homeland, not far away, intractable wars.

This Zelensky fall from grace stands in stark contrast to the constant adoration he enjoys from the legacy media platforms of Washington and New York. After all, even before the war in Ukraine, he was fawned over by the US corporate media for his indirect role in spurring the first sham impeachment of President Trump.

Since the Russian invasion, he graduated to the circles of a true global celebrity, feted by Hollywood elites as he scampered from Davos to Washington, demanding an endless flow of arms and money into his stalemate war. Hat in hand, Zelensky has never made a compelling case why this ancient, regional rivalry in the Black Sea involves a critical national security interest to the United States.

Nonetheless, the powerbrokers of America rallied to his cause, as it propped up the Washington War Machine that had been idled by President Trump’s first term. After Trump wound down the misbegotten global military adventures he inherited, the defense contractors, lobbyists, and DC think tanks desperately needed a new armed intervention. So, eastern Ukraine morphed into their new Gold Rush.

But Zelensky’s recent dust-up in the Oval Office with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance showcased for many Americans the reality of Volodymyr’s greed and lack of appreciation. America has been borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars—money we do not have—to send to Kyiv, with almost zero accountability for how the weapons and money are used. Regardless, Zelensky showed up to the White House in a sweatshirt and protested like an ungrateful child.

Thankfully, common-sense Americans now see through the narrative, and Zelensky’s poll numbers in America plummet. My organization, the League of American Workers, just commissioned a nationwide poll that shows Zelensky’s total approval rating is down to just 39%. Zelensky’s approval in the US largely breaks along party lines, with Democrat voters giving him a strong 61% approval, but Independent US voters showing only 33% approval. This poll was conducted by TIPP Insights and surveyed 1,720 voters who went for Trump +2% last November.

For context, consider Zelensky approval polling conducted by YouGov/Economist. Back when the war began, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all gave Zelensky sky-high approval numbers, which was understandable as he faced a brutal invasion. Among both Republicans and Independents, he earned around a huge +40% net approval ratio in the summer of 2022.

But since then, Zelensky’s approval numbers in the United States have crashed. Right now, he only maintains a +7% approval ratio among Independents, per You/Gov, and has collapsed to a horrible -40% approval rating among Republican voters. So, he literally moved from approximately 70/30% approve to only 30/70% approve among GOP-leaning Americans.

In contrast, Donald Trump’s approval among Republicans remains super elevated, with 80% approval, per this new TIPP survey. Of course, such a positive number is expected from partisan voters, just weeks after their candidate takes office.

But all Americans, regardless of party, also convey strong confidence in Trump’s ability to make peace and find a solution to this Ukraine quagmire. Specifically, by a +16% margin (53-37%), Americans believe President Trump will find a “resolution” and end the war in Ukraine.

In fact, Trump’s incredible November 2024 election mandate win flowed largely from this exact worldview, meaning a focus on guarding America’s own borders, and not ones thousands of miles away.

But America First does not mean “America Alone.”

The United States still maintains the primary leadership role in the world. Simultaneously, citizens of this Republic demand that the resources of the country be primarily devoted to improving the lives of Americans, and not to filling the coffers of foreign leaders, many of whom are systemically corrupt.

One such politician is Zelensky.

So, when the fighting ceases there, at Trump’s behest, then Ukraine must schedule long-delayed elections. Zelensky will likely lose that contest, as war-weary Ukrainians tire of his policies and reject his corruption. Early polling suggests that General Valerii Zaluzhnyi would handily defeat Zelensky.

With Trump in the White House and a new president in Kyiv, both countries can thrive and achieve a healthy long-term relationship of reciprocal benefit.

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Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group, and senior political advisor to Catholic Vote.

He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, plus a former commentator for Fox News and CNN.