European opinion of United States President Donald Trump and of America itself has turned especially negative in 2026, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center released as the country approaches the 250th anniversary of its independence. The findings pointed to a widening gap in trust across the Atlantic at a symbolic moment for the United States.
The lack of confidence in the US president was broad and deep. Majorities in all 10 European nations polled said they did not trust Trump to do the right thing in world affairs, and in eight of those countries roughly three-quarters of the public or more expressed that view. More than eight in 10 respondents in Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy said they lacked confidence in him.
Those numbers had also fallen recently. Trump's confidence ratings were down significantly in eight European nations compared with 2025, including drops of 15 percentage points in both Greece and Italy, underlining how quickly sentiment had shifted over the course of a single year.
The survey also measured whether Europeans still regarded the United States as dependable. Hungary and Poland were the only countries polled where a majority described the US as a reliable partner, and Hungarians were actually more likely to hold that view now than they were in 2022, during the Biden administration. In several other nations, the share calling the US reliable had dropped sharply.
Discontent was strongest on specific policies. A median of 85 percent across the 10 European nations disapproved of how Trump was handling Greenland and tariffs, the two issues that drew the most criticism, while large majorities also objected to his approach to the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
There was, however, a clear political divide within Europe. Trump remained more popular among Europeans who held favourable views of right-wing populist parties, such as supporters of Italy's Fratelli d'Italia, though even within that group confidence in the US president had slipped from previous levels.
The conclusions were drawn from a large cross-national study. The Pew Research Center said it had surveyed 42,151 adults across 36 countries between February 8 and May 13, 2026, giving the results a broad basis and allowing comparisons of attitudes toward the United States around the world.
The timing gave the results added weight. As the United States prepared to celebrate 250 years since declaring independence, the survey suggested that much of Europe was marking the milestone with scepticism rather than celebration, viewing Washington under Trump as a less trusted and less reliable partner than in the recent past.