Donald Trump does not speak for the real America
The most popular foreign leader in the US is Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, while Donald Trump’s approval ratings are negative and getting worse
Given Donald Trump’s renewed criticism of America’s Nato allies over their refusal to join the Iran War, his parroting of Russian propaganda over the Ukraine War, and his highly dubious attitude towards democracy, some may fear the USA – long the world’s staunchest defender of freedom – is about to change sides.
There are credible commentators who fear Trump may be secretly allied to Vladimir Putin, a suspicion not helped by the US president’s simpering attitude towards the murderous Russian dictator. And with people as serious as Eliza Manningham-Buller, a former head of MI5, suggesting the UK may already be involved in a hybrid war with Russia, the implications of the potential loss of Britain’s most important ally hardly bear thinking about.
The UK’s nuclear deterrent and other military hardware relies on support, including software upgrades, from US manufacturers so maintaining that alliance is imperative.
Trump and Putin both unpopular
Fortunately, we have a considerable ally in this task – the American people. While 77 million people voted for Trump in the 2024 election, just under 100 million others who were eligible to vote did not. So even as he celebrated return to power on his first day in office, he had the support of a minority of US citizens.
Since then, Trump has been getting even more unpopular. According to the influential Silver Bulletin, his net approval rating hit a second-term low of minus 17.5 a few days ago. Putin is even more unpopular. YouGov polling earlier this year found this evil tyrant was inexplicably liked by 12 per cent but disliked by 66 per cent, giving him a net approval rating of minus 54.
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Despite Trump’s lambasting of Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House last year and false claims that Ukraine started the war, YouGov found Zelensky was the most popular foreign leader in the US with an approval rating of plus 27 per cent. Trump can only dream of such figures.
With the mid-term elections in November looming, American public opinion acts as a significant brake on what Trump can and cannot do. Any attempt to withdraw the US from Nato could be catastrophic for the president, with 60 per cent of Americans expressing positive views about the alliance, according to the Pew Research Centre.
So, Nato can, and probably will, survive this. Even if Trump does not, the real America knows who its friends are and is not ready for a new Special Relationship with a monster like Putin.
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