When it comes to handling international affairs, more people trust Russian leader Vladimir Putin to do the right thing than U.S. President Donald Trump . According to NBC News , a new Pew poll reveals that Trump falls to fourth place behind Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron when it comes to confidence.
As news of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and increased conflict in Iran continue to make waves both in and out of the United States, it’s clear that people from various different countries don’t have a lot of faith in Trump to “do the right thing regarding world affairs.”
Chancellor Merkel was the top when it came to trust with 46 percent of people expressing the belief that she would do the right thing. Macron was in at 41 percent and Putin landed at third with 33 percent. Trump, on the other hand, got just 29 percent of people expressing confidence in him, just ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who got 28 percent of support from people.
At the same time in his presidency, former President Barack Obama scored far higher in trust, as NBC points out.
“The data also suggests that any lack of trust is less about the United States than it is about Trump specifically. The president’s numbers are noticeably lower on the confidence question than were the figures for his predecessor, Barack Obama, at a similar point in Obama’s presidency,” the news outlet reports.
Further, as NBC points out, the downward trend appears particularly stark in countries that are important allies to the United States.
“In the United Kingdom, Trump’s ‘right thing’ number, 32 percent, is 43 points lower than Obama’s was in 2011. In Canada, Trump’s score, 28 percent, is 53 points lower than Obama’s was in 2013. In France, the confidence in Trump is 64 points lower than it was for Obama in 2011.”
“As long as I am President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.” pic.twitter.com/7lzGY5fWz3
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) January 8, 2020
Unsurprisingly, the numbers diverge when it comes to conservatives and liberals. Only 9 percent of liberals in France have confidence in Trump, while 30 percent of conservatives do. In Italy, 50 percent of conservatives support Trump, while only 15 percent of liberals do. In Canada, a 30 point gap separates liberals and conservatives.
Not all countries look down on Trump. Conservatives in Poland support him at 61 percent and in Israel, a whopping 86 percent of people believe in Trump’s ability to do the right thing in world affairs.
Though his numbers are behind other world leaders, it appears that confidence in Trump is climbing – at least among conservatives. Confidence in him has increased 10 points in Canada in the past year, 11 points in Italy, and 17 points in France.