The Pew Research Centre published a study Wednesday finding that President Donald Trump holds broad support in both Nigeria and Kenya, although he is generally unpopular in other parts of the world.
The survey found that Trump’s highest approval ratings are in Israel and the Philippines, where 77 and 71 percent of adults respectively have confidence in him with regard to international affairs.
His popularity in Israel is likely due to his strong support for the country’s sovereignty and his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the rightful capital. Friendly relations between Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte are thought to be the reason behind his popularity in the Philippines.
The U.S. president also has pockets of support in Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Kenya, where 58 and 65 percent have confidence in his decision making. His administration continues to provide both countries with significant humanitarian and military support, particularly in the fight against Islamist terror groups such as Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab.
Across 32 countries, a median of 29% express confidence in President Trump to do the right thing in world affairs. https://t.co/EHBjkuiNNO pic.twitter.com/BHC2iht7cu
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) January 9, 2020
The country Trump is most popular in is Poland, where he has 79 percent support. Last year, ambassadors from both countries credited him with making the bond between the U.S. and Poland “stronger than ever” as a result of his close relationship with the conservative-populist government. He also retains 56 percent support in India, where Trump maintains positive relations with Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chart: Confidence in Trump increased among those on ideological right. https://t.co/EHBjkuiNNO pic.twitter.com/IUuLaqsuG3
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) January 9, 2020
Although Trump’s overall approval ratings have improved since he took office in 2017, he still remains unpopular in a majority of countries the study covered and lower than that of his predecessor. The study’s author, Jacob Poushter, suggests “deeply unpopular” foreign policies are behind the sentiment, presumably such as pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, canceling Barack Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also referred to as the Iran nuclear deal, and reimposing sanctions against the Islamist regime.
“As has been the case in past surveys by the Center, Trump inspires much less confidence globally than his predecessor, Barack Obama, and he receives more negative marks than other current world leaders, such as Germany’s Angela Merkel,” the study notes.
“In addition, Trump’s foreign policies are deeply unpopular,” it continued. “Support for Trump and these policies abroad disproportionately comes from people on the ideological right and those who favor right-wing populist parties in Europe.”
Mexico remains the country where Trump is least popular, obtaining just eight percent of support. His hardline positions on trade and military spending have also made him unpopular in Germany, where 13 percent of people reportedly have trust in him. He is also very unpopular in Turkey, having repeatedly clashed with Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even threatening to impose crippling economic sanctions on the country’s economy should its military break international law in Syria.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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