From Allies to Adversaries
Public opinion toward traditional American allies has started to sour. At the same time, European opinions of the US have also declined.
Since taking office, President Trump has repeatedly criticized longstanding US allies. In February, he claimed that “the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States.” He has called Canada “one of the nastiest countries to deal with” and even threatened to make the country the 51st state. Now Americans are increasingly adopting Trump’s critical stances.
According to a series of polls conducted by YouGov and The Economist, Americans have become more likely to call Canada and the EU “unfriendly” or “an enemy.” This shift is primarily due to MAGA Republicans. Before the presidential election, only 12% of Republicans had a negative view of Canada. By March, that share rose by +15 percentage points to 27%. Negative Republican views of the EU have climbed by +12 percentage points to 29%.
Democratic opinions have also soured a bit toward Canada, but to a much lesser degree. Unfortunately, The Economist does not give the exact percentages for Dems.
The surveys also found that negative perceptions toward Russia are declining. Again, most of this is due to MAGA Republicans. After Russia invaded Ukraine, over 85% of all voters called Russia an “enemy.” Today, only 72% of Republicans and about 82% of Democrats say the same thing. (Republicans have also grown significantly more negative toward Ukraine.)
Meanwhile, European views of the US are quickly eroding. In 2024, over 50% of people in Western European countries held a positive opinion of the US. By February, those views had plummeted. In Denmark, favorable opinions of America have dropped from 48% to 20%—likely influenced by Trump’s continued interest in annexing Greenland. I suspect these views are even worse today, given Trump’s latest round of tariffs.
Europe is also experiencing a divide between moderate and hard-right factions. In every surveyed country, hard-right parties have shown either a much smaller decline in favorability toward America or, in some cases, an increase. The sole exception is Denmark, where even hard-right groups oppose Trump’s desire to control Greenland.
But even among these hard-right factions, Trump’s tariffs and their economic fallout could prove challenging to defend. (See “Episode 53: Trump Stokes Tribalism and Redefines the Global Order.”)
