A Divided Globe - Trump’s Balance of Distrust and the Surprising Islands of Approval

A new international survey paints a merciless picture of Donald Trump’s global reputation. In most countries surveyed, distrust clearly prevails - and yet there are regions where the US president enjoys surprisingly broad approval. Especially in Europe, rejection is almost overwhelming. In Germany, 81 percent of respondents say they have no confidence in Trump. Only 18 percent see him as an actor whom one can trust to do the right thing on the world stage. Similar numbers can be found in Spain (80 percent distrust), France (78 percent), the Netherlands (77 percent) and in Sweden, where even 85 percent consider the president completely unreliable - a figure that borders on collective repudiation. The once self-evident partnership across the Atlantic now seems hardly more than a relic of past times.

And yet the picture is not so clear everywhere. Of all places, in the United Kingdom, traditionally Washington’s closest ally, approval is at a respectable 37 percent - despite a majority of 62 percent who remain skeptical of Trump. That in London, where the aftershocks of Brexit politically divide the country and the longing for strong international alliances grows, more people express trust in Trump than in Rome, Madrid or Paris, seems almost like a political reflex of old bonds.

Even more striking are the strongholds of approval outside Europe. In Israel, 69 percent trust the US president - a peak value that underlines the alliance of the two governments. Also in Nigeria (79 percent), Kenya (64 percent) and India (52 percent) Trump enjoys support that stems from a mixture of security interests, economic promises and geopolitical closeness. Here he is perceived less as a polarizer and more as a guarantor of hard power politics.

Quite different, however, is the picture in Latin America. In Mexico, the target of his harshest rhetoric, distrust stands at 91 percent - a figure that can hardly be topped. Only 8 percent of respondents express trust in him. Also in Brazil and Argentina the critical voices dominate with over 60 percent. In the median of all 24 countries surveyed, the verdict is clear: 62 percent have no confidence in Trump, only 34 percent trust him to act responsibly on the world stage. But behind this balance lie fractures in the global order. While Europe and Latin America turn their backs, in parts of Africa, South Asia and the Middle East surprisingly many supporters can be found.

This survey is more than a snapshot. It is a mirror of shifting alliances, a seismograph of international expectations - and an indication of how deeply the world remains divided in its dealings with Donald Trump.

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