Harry Enten, a data analyst, says President Trump’s foreign-policy approval has jumped from 35% to 43%, a rise he described as "up like a rocket." At the same point in their second terms, George W. Bush registered 36% and Barack Obama 37%, leaving Trump highest among recent two-term presidents. Enten credited public support for Trump’s role in an Israel–Hamas ceasefire and cited prediction markets that give a ~56% chance of Israel–Saudi normalization during Trump’s term.
“Up Like a Rocket”: Data Analyst Says Trump’s Foreign-Policy Approval Surges Past Bush and Obama
Harry Enten, a data analyst, says President Trump’s foreign-policy approval has jumped from 35% to 43%, a rise he described as "up like a rocket." At the same point in their second terms, George W. Bush registered 36% and Barack Obama 37%, leaving Trump highest among recent two-term presidents. Enten credited public support for Trump’s role in an Israel–Hamas ceasefire and cited prediction markets that give a ~56% chance of Israel–Saudi normalization during Trump’s term.
08:11 PM, 11/19/2025Politics
Data analyst Harry Enten told anchor John Berman that President Donald Trump’s approval on foreign policy has climbed sharply since his first term, rising from 35% to 43%. Enten described the change as “up like a rocket” and called it a double-digit rise in net approval.
“This is one of the areas in which Donald Trump is performing significantly better than he was in term one,” Enten said.
Enten displayed a comparison with recent two-term presidents and reported that, at the comparable point in their second terms, George W. Bush was at 36% and Barack Obama at 37%. By that measure, Trump now tops the group among 21st-century two-term presidents.
Enten suggested a key driver of the increase is public reaction to Trump’s role in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He tied those efforts to roughly a +3 point net approval lift and contrasted that with Joe Biden, who left office about 37 points underwater on net approval at the end of his presidency.
Looking ahead, Enten cited prediction markets that assign roughly a 56% probability that Israel and Saudi Arabia will normalize ties during Trump’s term — a development that, if realized, could further bolster the president’s foreign-policy legacy.
Foreign policy often shapes presidential legacies, and Enten noted that this particular approval metric is a rare area where Trump rates more favorably than comparable modern presidents at the same stage of a second term.