Donald Trump’s Return More Welcome by US Adversaries Than Allies: Poll

President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the world stage is being welcomed more by traditional U.S. adversaries than by the nation’s allies, a poll has revealed.

The survey, taken by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) across 24 countries, found that while many people internationally welcome another Trump term, believing that he can bring peace to global conflicts, Europeans and South Koreans feel anxious that Trump will contribute to weakening of the “geopolitical ‘West.'”

Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s team by email for comment.

Why It Matters

For almost 100 years, the U.S. has been seen as the “leader of the free world” and has held an enormous amount of financial and political power as a U.N. Security Council member and a NATO founding party.

This poll shows not only a weakening of the ties between Western democracies and the U.S. but also a desire from countries that were not part of that alliance to be larger figures on the world stage.

What To Know

According to the ECFR survey, the country with the second lowest amount of optimism about a Trump presidency’s impact on its own country was the U.K., previously known for its “special relationship” with the U.S.

Only 15 percent percent of British people polled said they felt “good” about how Trump will impact their own domestic security, with 54 percent feeling “bad.”

Additionally, only 15 percent of British people welcomed a Trump presidency and 50 percent of U.K. residents polled said they were “Never Trump” people.

The lowest level of optimism about a Trump presidency’s impact on domestic safety was among South Koreans, where 67 percent of people felt “bad” about how the incoming U.S. leader will impact their own country.

Meanwhile, citizens of China, Saudi Arabia and Russia—which have been seen as adversarial forces in the past—appeared to be feeling positive about their diplomatic ties to the U.S. under Trump.

The largest level of support and excitement was found in India, where 75 percent of those polled identified as “Trump Welcomers” and 82 percent said they believed he would be good for world peace.

The ECFR identified Trump Welcomers as survey respondents who believe Trump will bring global peace and a good future for Americans.

At the other end of the scale, they saw Never Trumpers as people who believe the opposite.

In between are: “Peace Seekers,” who have doubts about Trump’s impact on Americans but believe he will be good for global stability; “Conflicted” people, who feel his policies are good for Americans but less good for the world as a whole; and “Uncertain” people, who are going to wait and see Trump’s impact domestically and overseas.

The poll also revealed that people believe the EU to be equally powerful to the U.S. and that Europe does not necessarily need the U.S. to protect itself from war. However, in 2024 the U.S. contributed around 16 percent of the total NATO budget, the largest share of any NATO member.

Trump has previously said that he will make NATO countries pay the same amount as the U.S. into the alliance and that he would not send troops to defend NATO countries who had not paid “their bills.”

Trump’s proposed Greenland invasion could also threaten the future of the NATO alliance as Greenland is owned by Denmark, a NATO founder and EU member.

What Happens Next

A running theme in the ECFR report is that many people believe Trump will be good for global peace. He initially promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day but has now moved that goal up to his 100th day in office.

President Biden has said that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is being completed in his final days in office. Negotiations are ongoing as the final plan is decided.