Zelensky Is Winning Trump Voters Over
By
Steven Moore
and
Colby Barrett,
Support for military aid for Ukraine is surging among President Trump’s voters, due in part to a shift in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s strategy.
In March 2022, 67% of Trump voters viewed Mr. Zelensky favorably. But between millions of dollars of Russian disinformation directed against him, Mr. Trump’s unflattering accusations and Mr. Zelensky’s own missteps, that figure dropped to 19% by March 2025.
The most obvious misstep came last year, when Mr. Zelensky appeared with Kamala Harris surrogates at a campaign-style event in Pennsylvania, 44 days before the election and 155 days after House Speaker Mike Johnson put his job on the line to pass the $61 billion Ukraine aid bill.
Mr. Zelensky’s team ignored Mr. Trump’s voters. For years certain conservative media personalities turned conservatives against Ukraine, while pro-Ukraine forces respond on CNN, MSNBC or “60 Minutes.”
Now Mr. Zelensky gives interviews on “The Ben Shapiro Show,” “Special Report with Brett Baier” and Newsmax. In August, the Ukrainian president hosted an American-style prayer breakfast in Kyiv, attracting thousands of believers from Ukraine, America and across the globe. Soon after, the well-liked Trinity Broadcasting Network host Joel Rosenberg interviewed Mr. Zelensky in Kyiv.
Since June, Ukraine Freedom Project polling has shown a 22-point swing in support for military aid among religious conservatives and an 18-point swing among Republicans who attend church weekly. Mr. Zelensky’s change in tactics more than doubled his rating among Trump voters in the last seven months. Why is this important? Our poll of Republican primary voters in October found that 78% of Republicans who like Mr. Zelensky also favor military aid to Ukraine.
What Mr. Zelensky didn’t say to Trump voters is as crucial as what he did. Earlier this year, every time Vladimir Putin proved he was the obstacle to peace, a conflict between Messrs. Zelensky and Trump would divert attention away from Russia’s indiscriminate bombing or kidnapping of Ukrainian children. With Mr. Zelensky now communicating more strategically, Republicans are clear on who is obstructing Mr. Trump’s diplomacy. Some 64% of Republican voters view Mr. Putin as the obstacle to a cease-fire. Only 13% point to Mr. Zelensky.
Despite massive spending on disinformation to sway conservatives against Ukraine, Mr. Putin has done Mr. Zelensky a lot of favors recently. His actions have shown Republicans that Russia is a threat. Ninety-two percent of Republican primary voters are concerned about Russian drone incursions into Europe. Additionally, 76% are concerned that Russia or China may attack the U.S. with drones.
How can Mr. Zelensky lock in Republicans? Win. Keep winning and talk about winning with conservative media. Only 11% of Republican voters say they think Ukraine is winning before they’re told about Ukrainian victories. Ukraine barely has a navy and has taken out 35% of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Ukraine’s strikes deep into Russia have destroyed as much as 27% of Russian refining capacity. Operation Spiderweb took out $7 billion in Russian aircraft at four air bases with $100,000 in Ukrainian drones. When given information like this, half of Republicans recognize Ukraine is winning, and 85% of them favor military aid to Ukraine.
By engaging with American conservatives, Mr. Zelensky has learned what many Americans have not—talking with people who disagree with you creates allies.
Mr. Moore is founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project and is a former congressional Republican chief of staff. Mr. Barrett is producer of “A Faith Under Siege,” a documentary about Russian atrocities against Ukrainian Christians.
Comments
Post a Comment