Europe’s Concern Over Trump Isn’t a Global Opinion

Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States will take place on Monday. While his forthcoming presidency is viewed anxiously among a majority in Europe and South Korea, a new survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations found that this is not the case in many other countries around the world. As the following chart shows, populations of the founding BRICS nations were more positive about Trump’s second term in office than not. In India, more than eight in ten respondents said they thought the re-election of Trump is good for their country. By contrast, respondents in South Korea, the United Kingdom and the EU11 were the most likely to feel negatively about the next Trump era.

According to the ECFR, many respondents think Trump will bring peace or reduce tensions in Ukraine, the Middle East and in terms of U.S.-China relations. Meanwhile, the writers of the report add that the pessimism of U.S. allies in Europe and South Korea indicates a “further weakening of the geopolitical “West”.” 

The survey also found that many around the world expect China to become the world’s strongest power rather than America and consider Europe as a superpower equal to that of the U.S. and China. The data shown in this chart is based on a survey of 28,549 people, conducted across 24 countries in November 2024 - just after the U.S. presidential election.