A day before his inauguration, President-elect Joe Biden is viewed far more positively by the European public than was Donald Trump, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.
The polling found that large majorities of respondents across Germany, France and the U.K., key U.S. allies, have confidence in Biden to do the right thing in world affairs. In Germany, 79% of respondents said they had confidence in Biden, an increase from the 10% who said the same of President Trump in a survey last summer. It was similar elsewhere, with 72% of French respondents and 65% of British respondents expressing confidence in Biden.
“Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump was broadly unpopular internationally, and his poor ratings have had a negative impact on America’s overall image, especially among key allies,” Pew said in the report published Tuesday. “By contrast, early reviews for his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, are much more positive.”
The survey was conducted in November and December, before the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which former President George W. Bush said was worthy of a “banana republic.” Still, if the trends hold true, the polling suggests that Biden’s inauguration may signal an improvement in global perceptions of the U.S.
The survey also asked about the state of trans-Atlantic relations, which have been strained by four years of Trump administration skepticism about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and about the value of cooperation on issues from climate change to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Large majorities in all three countries said they were optimistic about their country’s relations with the U.S., including 84% of German and French respondents and 72% of British respondents.
The polling showed that concerns about the state of the U.S. political system were widespread across Europe even before the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol. About 73% of Germans, 64% of French and 62% of Brits surveyed said the U.S. political system needs either major changes or to be completely reformed.
The poll was based on telephone interviews with 3,066 adults across the three countries from Nov. 12 to Dec. 23 with varying margins of error in each country.
