According to two new polls, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s net favorability ratings are better among Republicans than President Joe Biden’s.
Slate’s William Saletan pointed out the YouGov/Economist and Morning Consult/Politico polls, suggesting, “These soft attitudes weaken Biden’s hand.”
A Morning Consult/Politico poll found 11% of Republicans have a favorable view of Putin while 67% say they have an unfavorable view of him.
In comparison, 13% of Republicans say they hold a favorable view of Biden while 85% of Republicans have an unfavorable view of the president.
Similarly, the YouGov/Economist poll found 18% of Republicans have a favorable view of the Russian president. Sixty-four percent of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Putin.
Only 14% of Republicans hold a favorable view of Biden. Eighty-two percent say they have an unfavorable view of him.
Saletan notes, “Putin has a better net favorable rating among Republicans than Biden does, by margins of 16 and 22 points, respectively.” Both of the polls were taken this week.
Biden met with Putin for the first time since taking office on Wednesday. Former President Donald Trump shared his thoughts, saying during a Fox News interview, “I think it was a good day for Russia. I don’t think we got anything out of it.”
He added, “We gave a very big stage to Russia, and we got nothing. We gave up something that was unbelievably valuable.”
Trump also reflected on his relationship with Putin, “I got along really well with him. Nobody was tougher on Russia. He would say that, but nobody was tougher on Russia.”
The former president also explained he thinks the United States “had a great shot at having an unbelievable relationship with Russia.”
Putin said his meeting with Biden was “quite constructive,” calling him an “experienced statesman.”
In an interview before the summit, Putin said Trump “is an extraordinary individual, talented individual, otherwise he would not have become U.S. president. He’s a colorful individual.”
