During his first weeks in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump enacted several remarkable foreign policy decisions. He threatened to annex Greenland, declared intentions to “take control” of Gaza, and initiated the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Paris climate agreement. Additionally, he has closed the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is the primary overseas aid agency of the government.
Many of these actions are not very favored by regular Americans, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center. It surveyed 3,605 US adults in late March, just before Trump enacted extensive trade tariffs on nations worldwide.
Many believe the US should avoid attempting to take control of Greenland or Gaza
Trump has intensified his rhetoric on “acquiring” Greenland, and Vice President JD Vance recently made a contentious visit to the Arctic island. However, Pew discovered that most survey participants (54%) did not believe the US should annex the Danish territory. When asked if they thought Trump would actually follow through with the plan, 23% believed it was highly likely, but a larger percentage (34%) said they thought he would not go through with it.
He also suggested an American annexation of the Gaza Strip, relocating two million Palestinians to neighboring countries with no right of return. This would breach international law and has been labeled as “equivalent to ethnic cleansing” by the UN. Of those surveyed, 62% of Americans opposed such an action, compared to 15% who supported it. Opinions were split on whether Trump was likely to actually pursue it. Once again, the majority (38%) believed it very or extremely unlikely.
More people are against shutting down USAID and pulling out of the WHO
Trump signed executive orders to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on climate change, and announced that USAID would largely be shut down. More Americans dislike than support such actions, the survey indicates, although the results are not overwhelming. 45% disapprove of ending USAID programs (compared with 35% who approve). 46% oppose leaving the Paris Agreement (32% approve). 52% disapprove of exiting the WHO (32% approve).
Many believe Trump shows excessive favouritism toward Russia
At the beginning of his second presidency, Trump stated he would “collaborate closely” with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine – a much different approach than that of his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The Pew research uncovered 43% of respondents believed Trump supported Russia too much – a higher percentage than the 31% who felt he was maintaining the right balance between both sides. Since the survey was conducted, however, Trump’s stance seems to have shifted. He has stated he is “very angry” with Putin over the Ukraine talks.
In the meantime, Trump’s ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have become progressively closer this year. Responding to a question about whether Trump was favouring Israelis or Palestinians, 31% of those surveyed believed he favoured Israelis too much. Close behind at 29% were those who thought Trump was maintaining the right balance. Larger than either of these, nevertheless, was the group of survey participants who were uncertain (37%). Only 3% felt he was leaning Palestinians too much.
Republicans support Trump’s initiatives
The findings indicated that a majority of respondents (64%) identifying as Republican or Republican-leaning backed the Republican president’s decision to terminate USAID, for instance.
In contrast, only 9% of opposing Democrats or those leaning Democratic shared this sentiment, highlighting a significant level of polarisation. The research indicated that older adults tend to support Trump’s foreign policy actions more than their younger counterparts.
