President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda appears to be impacting politics in foreign countries.
Left-leaning politicians and parties in nations such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom seem to be benefiting from Trump’s policies.
The president’s tariffs, an apparent trade war with China, and his attempts to end the Russia-Ukraine war have allowed global media outlets to portray the financial and political landscape as chaotic.
As a result, Trump’s ideological opponents internationally are seeing their polling numbers rebound.
Trump has “crippled, if not destroyed, the global trade architecture that has existed for 75 years,” said Bruce Wolpe, a senior fellow at the U.S. Studies Center at the University of Sydney, The Wall Street Journal reported. “People are afraid of the effects of that.”
Until a few months ago, Pierre Poilievre was seen as a shoo-in to become Canada’s next prime minister and shepherd his Conservative Party back into power for the first time in a decade. Then Trump declared economic war on Canada and even threatened to make it the 51st state.
Poilievre, a career politician and firebrand populist, has campaigned with Trump-like braggadocio, even taking a page from the “America First” president by adopting the slogan “Canada First.” But his similarities to Trump might cost him the chance to become prime minister when Canadians head to the polls Monday.
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of the center-left Labor Party, was losing to his conservative opponent, Peter Dutton, 53% to 47% in January, according to pollster Roy Morgan. Albanese now is ahead 55.5% to 44.5% with an election May 3.
In the U.K., Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer has seen his favorability rating improve to 29% in March, up from 21% in February, according to Ipsos.
Starmer, though, met with Trump at the White House on Feb. 27, when the prime minister said he agreed with the president that Europe “must step up” its defense responsibilities as NATO allies.
Pollsters in Australia, Canada, and the U.K. said Trump is unpopular in those countries.
The Journal reported that:
- 36% of Australians said they had any level of trust in the U.S. to act responsibly, down from 56% a year earlier.
- 33% of Canadians said they had a very or somewhat positive view of the U.S. in March, down from 52% in June last year.
- 30% of Britons said there was a “special relationship” between the U.K. and the U.S., down from 47% the previous year.
“The overall takeout is that Australians have broadly rejected Mr. Trump’s foreign policy agenda,” said Ryan Neelam, a former Australian diplomat. “That should give a clue to politicians who are seeking election in these liberal democracies.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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