CATEGORIZING EU COUNTRIES’ VIEWS OF TRUMP

Group 1

The countries here below hope the ‘Advisors’ around Donald Trump will ensure the familiar transatlantic relationship continues more or less in its current form. They believe on the belief in checks-and-balances to contain Trump.

1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Bulgaria
4. Croatia
5. Cyprus
6. Denmark
7. Finland
8. Germany
9. Greece
10. Italy
11. Latvia
12. Lithuania
13. Malta
14. Romania
15. Slovakia
16. Spain
17. Sweden
18. United Kingdom

Group 2

The countries here below view Trump as a leader set on restoring Western conservative, Christian values. These countries believe that nationalist, anti-immigration politics can win in the EU as well.

1. Czech Republic
2. Hungary
3. Poland

Opposition parties in: Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovenia support this view.

Group 3

The countries here below view Trump as a figure to oppose or rally against. The election of Trump is seen as a disaster for the US and the West and a wake-up call for the EU to become a truly independent international actor and stand up to the US.  

1. Estonia
2. France
3. Ireland
4. Luxembourg
5. Slovenia
6. Netherlands
7. Portugal

Country Perceptions

1. Austria: Austrians are among the Europeans most critical of American leadership. Image of the US has suffered due to the presidential campaign but also afterwards.
2. Belgium: According to a January 2017 poll, 70 percent of Belgians thought that Trump would not be a good president and only 14 percent of them thought the contrary. Belgian newspapers scrutinise the Trump administration’s every move, and are very critical of him on matters such as the ‘Muslim ban’, and his relationship with Russia.
3. Bulgaria:  A European Trump Society has even been established. Overall, however, the image of the US in Bulgaria remains largely unchanged.
4. Croatia:  In general, the public and the NGO sector, as well as the political and diplomatic establishment, continue to frown upon Trump for a number of reasons, most importantly on security.
5. Cyprus: According to the 2016 US Global Leadership Report conducted by Gallup, 30 percent of Cypriots approve of US leadership, with 37 percent disapproving, and 33 percent uncertain
6. Czech Republic: While journalists and other opinion-formers reject Donald Trump, a recent poll showed support in the country for the president’s latest positions, including 62 percent support for closing the border to refugees. The image of the US in the Czech Republic remains little changed overall.
7. Denmark: A poll by Megafon and TV2 in February 2017 showed that a majority of the Danish public believe the Trump presidency poses a direct threat to national security. 59 percent said the Trump presidency was the biggest fear they had, followed, at a distance, by terrorism and Russia.
8. Estonia: Doubts around the death penalty, Guantanamo Bay, and the US position on the International Criminal Court have somewhat reduced American moral authority. However, Estonians still consider the US the main moral cornerstone in today’s world and a security guarantor in the international arena.
9. Finland: Finns are especially negative about the US under Trump: according to survey data collected by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum in early 2017, only 1 percent of Finns fully agree and 10 percent partially agree with the statement that ‘the US acts correctly in international politics and deserves the support of Finns. The survey data also showed that 66 per cent believe that the number of wars and conflicts in the world will increase as a result of the new administration.
10. France: The notion of the US as a moral leader in the world clashes with the idea of French exceptionalism on which France’s understanding of its strategic autonomy is built. However, the US is seen as an ally to promote the common values on which the postwar order was built.
11. Germany: The failed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations confirmed critics of the US in their beliefs. After Trump’s election, one poll showed that 63 percent of Germans did not think that the US is the country that most strongly promotes freedom and human rights.
12. Greece: A poll conducted in February 2017 showed that 66 percent of respondents in Greece have a negative opinion of Trump. 37 percent of respondents believe Trump will negatively influence Greece’s national interests.
13. Hungary: Over the past few years, the Hungarian government itself has been on the receiving end of American criticism concerning the state of democracy and the level of corruption in the country. This has damaged political relations between the two countries. After Trump’s election, state media communicated the positive response from the government, whereas the independent media has been more critical.
14. Ireland: The Irish reaction to the election of Donald Trump was one of disbelief. Trump’s views on women, immigration, and other controversies have been aired in hundreds of media articles and dozens of parliamentary debates, and the public response has been overwhelmingly negative.
15. Italy: These days, Italy remains convinced that the US can still be a leader in underpinning these values, even though it acknowledges that America’s global leadership role has diminished somewhat. The economic crisis, the increasingly fragmented international environment, and the rise of new geopolitical challenges have called the guiding role of the US into question. This may be additionally eroded by Trump’s view of international relations.
16. Latvia: In the past, Latvians looked to the US for moral leadership, mainly because of historical links, the support the US has provided to Latvia, and its reputation as a stronghold of liberal values and the market economy. However, since Latvia joined the EU, the union has gradually taken over the role of normative archetype.
17. Lithuania: Since the US presidential election, Lithuanian politicians have supported Trump in his statements on European contributions to NATO. Support for NATO, which is associated with support for the US, has remained high in the country.
18. Luxembourg: Statements by some of Trump’s representatives, such as the vice-president, Mike Pence, and the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, have reassured Luxembourgers that the US will remain a strong partner in promoting liberal values.
19. Malta: Major national media outlets and the general public tend to maintain a critical view of the Trump administration, which cannot be detached entirely from perceptions of the US more broadly
20. Netherlands: In an opinion poll held just after the US presidential election, 74 percent of Dutch citizens thought that Trump was not capable of being president. But views on the US as a whole have not changed much yet. Large sections of the Dutch public also criticise it for not living up to its expected role, such as in the cases of the Iraq war in 2003, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and – more recently – the travel ban against the citizens of numerous Islamic countries. In the debates on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, concerns about American production standards also came to the fore.
21. Poland: Sympathy towards Americans since the election of Trump has increased from 46 percent to 54 percent.
22. Portugal: Donald Trump receives criticism in the country because of his lack of experience, promotion of neo-isolationism, protectionism, and his dubious commitment to NATO’s Article 5 and to transatlantic relations in general. At a time of evident political polarisation and fragmentation, Portugal fears that the lack of liberal American leadership will further complicate the future of the global order.
23. Romania: Romania believes that only the US is capable of projecting its values and influence in a way which can counteract influence coming from Russia and China and the challenges posed by fake news, propaganda, radicalisation, and populism. Even though the Romanian political establishment rooted for Hillary Clinton and does not share Donald Trump’s positions on Russia, Romania’s national interest still dictates developing and maintaining good bilateral relations with the US.
24. Slovakia: Although the Slovak media was partially successful in inserting Trump’s election into the mainstream public debate, most people remain indifferent towards this topic and consequently the public image of the US has remained more or less unchanged.
25. Slovenia: Polls have shown that the image of Trump has worsened, with the latest polls from January 2017 suggesting that 37 percent of Slovenes believe that Trump will be a bad president, compared to 22 percent in November. Two-thirds of Slovenes do not believe that the country will benefit from the fact that the first lady hails from Slovenia.
26. Spain: The opposition, media, and public opinion are extremely critical of Trump, whose ratings in Spain are strongly negative, reaching the worst levels in the world according to one poll released in January. A close relationship with the US is not considered an electoral advantage, and the current prime minister prefers to keep a low profile on this topic.
27. Sweden: Sweden holds its own morality in international affairs in high regard and does not look for leadership elsewhere. Indeed, the US has been the object of Swedish criticism in this respect, most recently when it comes to immigration policy and the treatment of refugees in the US.
28. United Kingdom:  Many people would like to see the US return to a position of moral leadership. Since the election of Donald Trump, the public image of the US has worsened. Popular outcry against a planned state visit by Trump led to its postponement