CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s standing with the public on foreign policy has risen sharply since his first term, reaching a level that surpasses any other second-term president of the 21st century.
Speaking with anchor John Berman, Enten described the shift as one of the most defined areas of improvement for the president since returning to office. “This is one of the areas in which Donald Trump is performing significantly better than he was in term one,” Enten said, pointing to a jump from 35 percent approval in his first term to 43 percent now. He characterized the increase as “up like a rocket” and highlighted what he called a “double digit rise” in net approval.
Enten noted that Trump’s gains stand out in contrast to his performance across other policy areas, where his approval ratings often trail those of past presidents. “Normally when we look at these data points, we see that Trump is doing worse than other presidents,” he said. “But on this one, he is doing significantly better.”
A graphic displayed during the segment compared Trump’s numbers with the mid-second-term ratings of former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Bush registered a 36 percent approval rating on foreign policy at a similar point, while Obama stood at 37 percent. Enten emphasized that Trump currently leads “the pack” among two-term presidents of this century.
“This is something I think Donald Trump really likes to look at,” Enten said, adding that presidents often hope their foreign policy decisions will shape how history judges them. In Trump’s case, he said, “the American people like much more of what Donald Trump’s doing on foreign policy than either of the two other twenty-first century presidents who serve at least or served two terms.”
Enten attributed part of Trump’s improved standing to public reaction surrounding the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. “The American people liked what Trump was able to do between the Israelis and Hamas,” he said. He contrasted Trump’s current +3 percent net approval on the issue with former President Joe Biden’s 37 percent “below water” rating at the end of his term.
Looking ahead, Enten highlighted prediction market estimates showing a 56 percent probability that Israel and Saudi Arabia will normalize relations during Trump’s second term. Such a development, he suggested, could further reinforce Trump’s foreign policy legacy if it comes to pass.
The data, Enten said, underscore a notable realignment in public sentiment. While Trump’s broader approval picture remains mixed, voters appear more receptive to his handling of international affairs than they were during his first four years — and more approving on this issue than they were of his recent predecessors.
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