European Jitters Over Trump Not Shared Elsewhere, Poll Finds

Europeans' anxiety about Donald Trump's return to the White House is not shared in many other parts of the world, a poll has shown, with more respondents in countries such as India, China and Russia welcoming the president-elect's second term.

- Jon Henley

Asked if Trump's return was good or bad for their country and for peace in the world, more people in nine of the countries surveyed - India, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Indonesia, and Ukraine - viewed it positively, while only South Korea joined 11 European Union nations, the UK and Switzerland in saying the opposite.

"In short, Trump's return is lamented by America's longtime allies but almost nobody else," stated the report by the European Council on Foreign Relations thinktank, adding that his re-election left Europe in particular "at a crossroads" in its relations with the US.

The report also found many people outside Europe believed the incoming president was committed to ending wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and saw a Trump-led US as one leading power among several, including the EU.

"Europeans need to recognise the advent of a more transactional world," the report said. "Rather than attempt to lead a global liberal opposition to Trump, they should understand their own strengths and deal with the world as they find it."

Respondents fell into five groups, ranging from "Trump Welcomers," most common in India (75%), Russia (38%), South Africa (35%), China (34%) and Brazil (33%), to "Never Trumpers," prevalent in the UK (50%), Switzerland and the EU (28%).