Europeans agree with Trump that their leaders are weak, new poll finds

Donald Trump says he wants to reshape politics in Europe, and for many voters in the continent’s major countries, it seems he has already succeeded.

According to participants in the first international POLITICO Poll, Trump’s return to the US presidency is far more significant for voters in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom than the election of their own national leaders.

The online survey, conducted by the London-based independent polling firm Public First, also shows that many Europeans share Trump’s critical assessment of the relative weakness of European leaders, which he expressed in an interview with POLITICO earlier this week.

More than 10,000 people from the US, Canada, and Europe’s three largest economies—Germany, France, and the United Kingdom—participated in the survey.

For leaders like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, these results are particularly disheartening: their own voters believe they have so far been unable to effectively manage the unpredictable American president.

EU leaders received the worst results. In France, only 11% thought Brussels managed its relations with Trump well, while 47% said the EU leadership handled these relations poorly.

According to responses to the POLITICO poll, the people of France and Germany are pessimistic about the EU’s management of its relationship with US President Donald Trump.

Participants in the post-Brexit United Kingdom expressed less negative views. Prime Minister Keir Starmer received a slightly better score; his performance in managing Trump was rated as neither good nor bad.

Seb Wride, head of polling at Public First, commented:

“These results show how much Trump has influenced political debates over the past year, not just in the US but globally. This is as true for the public as it is for policymakers: the number of people who believe Trump’s election on the other side of the world is more important than the election of their own leaders makes this clear.”

The survey was conducted at an extremely sensitive time for transatlantic relations. The new White House National Security Strategy, announced last week, marks a strong step by the US to shape countries in the region according to its own MAGA ideology.

In an interview with Dasha Burns of POLITICO for a special episode of The Conversation at the White House on Monday, Trump expanded on his message, saying he would support candidates from parties in Europe who share his views, especially on halting immigration.

To reveal Trump’s disruptive impact on international relations since beginning his second term in January, Public First conducted an online survey of 10,510 adults aged 18 and over between December 5 and 9.

The research revealed that more than half of the respondents in Germany and the United Kingdom consider Trump’s election more important than the elections of their own leaders, despite Merz and Starmer having come to power relatively recently.

In France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, people agree that Trump’s re-election has left a significant mark on their own countries, according to their responses to the POLITICO Poll. This impact is even seen as greater than that of their own leaders’ elections.

In Germany, 53% of people believe Trump’s election is more important than Merz’s, while 25% think the German election is more significant.

In the United Kingdom, 54% believe Trump’s return is more important than Keir Starmer’s Labour Party coming to power and ending 14 years of Conservative rule, while 28% think last year’s national government change was more important for the United Kingdom.

French voters were slightly more moderate on this issue, yet 43% still thought Trump’s victory was more important, while 25% believed Macron’s election had a greater impact on France.

However, respondents in Canada were divided. The victory of Mark Carney, who campaigned on a promise to oppose Trump in April, was considered more important than Trump’s return to power by 40% of respondents. Only slightly more (45%) said Trump’s victory was more important for Canada than Carney’s.

In his interview with POLITICO, Trump drew a reaction from politicians in the European Union by describing European leaders as “weak,” even prompting Pope Leo to call on him “not to shatter the transatlantic alliance.”

Researchers found that Europeans largely share Trump’s view that their leaders are weak, at least in comparison to him.

They rated Trump as more “strong and decisive” than their own leaders by a margin of 74% to 26% in Germany, 73% to 27% in France, and 69% to 31% in the United Kingdom.

Canada was again a notable exception: 60% said Carney was stronger and more decisive compared to Trump, while only 40% said the opposite.

However, overall, being a strong and decisive leader is not seen as the most desirable trait among the voters surveyed. In all five countries included in the study, including the US, honesty and transparency are considered far more important.

The pollsters also asked how people rated their own leaders’ handling of the geopolitical turmoil during Trump’s second term.

In France and Germany, the number of people who think their leaders have managed Trump poorly is higher than those who approve: only 24% think Merz has done a good job, while 34% believe he has handled Trump poorly.

Macron’s situation in France was even worse. Only 16% of respondents said he had done a good job, while 39% thought he had mismanaged relations with the White House.

Opinions on Starmer were mixed: 29% believe he has managed relations with Trump well, while an equal percentage thinks he has done so poorly.

The research revealed that Europeans want their leaders to stand up to and challenge Trump, rather than prioritizing getting along with him.

But when asked how their own national leaders should act, Europeans expressed the opposite view, stating that cooperation is more important than challenging the president.

Canadians, however, remained resolute, showing a slight preference for Carney to oppose Trump.