The “Reckless Peacemaker” strategy is proving a political liability, with a net 19% “point spread” between the public’s disapproval vs. approval of Trump’s handling of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

by  Alex Raufoglu | Nov. 7, 2025

• Imperial presidency meets the people
• Ukraine, Russia, and Chinese headache

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%.

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.

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Russia’s Pyrrhic Victory: The True Cost of Pokrovsk

As Russian forces grind into Pokrovsk at immense cost, ex–Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer dissects the brutal battle’s toll, Ukraine’s hard choices, and why Russia’s gains may be pyrrhic.

By Jason Jay Smart,  Chuck Pfarrer 

Nov 7, 2025

The situation in Pokrovsk is critical. As Russian forces advance into the city at a staggering cost, the strategic hinge of western Donetsk is becoming a meat grinder.

In this Kyiv Post interview, former US Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer gives Jason Smart his brutal assessment about this battle: Russia is gaining ground, but at what price? It is a price too high for Russia to bear.

The discussion focuses on the unsustainable losses in Russian vehicles and personnel, and the hard choices Ukraine now faces. Pfarrer assesses why Russia, previously, was willing to pay in blood for Pokrovsk – its rail links, road hubs, and strategic value – and how Ukrainian drone warfare and counter-battery fire are exacting a massive toll for every street. Moreover, now that the city has been largely destroyed – what does Russia really gain?

Pfarrer also examines the Russian tactics, the stress on Ukrainian air defense, and the operational tempo of these high-loss assaults. This is not a victory, but a brutal battle of attrition.

Beyond the front, European enforcement on Russia’s shadow fleet and the tightening of financial channels raise friction and cost for the Kremlin’s war machine, aligning pressure at sea and on land.

This analysis connects the tactical fight for Pokrovsk to the broader strategic and economic war.

Viewers will get a clear-eyed read on the high-cost, low-gain nature of Russia’s advance, how Ukrainian tactics are adapting under pressure, and the strategic implications of this fight for the rest of the Donbas. This is an evidence-driven briefing for those who want facts, not headlines, to get the truth of what is now transpiring in eastern Ukraine.