Donald Trump's return to the White House is far more important to voters in Germany, France and the UK than the election of their national leaders, according to a poll published today by Politico.
The survey also showed that Europeans generally share Trump's view that European leaders are weak, at least compared to him.
In Germany, 53 percent of respondents believe that Trump's victory in the US presidential election was more significant for their country than the election of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, compared to 25 percent who think the German election is more important.
Trump's return is more important to 54 percent of respondents in the UK than the victory of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule. The change of government last year was more important to the country for 28 percent of respondents.
A slightly smaller percentage of French citizens give greater importance to Trump's victory, 43 percent, while 25 percent of respondents believe that President Emmanuel Macron's victory had a greater impact on the country.
Seb Wrayd of the British company Public First, which conducted the research, said the results show how much Trump has shaped political conversations over the past year, not just in the US, but globally.
"This is true for both the public and policymakers. This is demonstrated by the fact that so many people believe that Trump's election, on the other side of the world, was more significant for their country than the election of their leaders," said Wrayd.
In an interview with Politico this week, the US president described European leaders as weak and said he wanted to reshape politics in Europe.
"To many voters in major European democracies, it seems as if he has already done so," Politico writes, adding that the survey also shows that many Europeans agree with Trump's criticism of their leaders.
Most respondents believe Trump is "stronger and more decisive" than their leaders - 74 percent in Germany, 73 percent in France and 69 percent in the UK.
However, respondents in all countries believe that honesty and transparency are more desirable qualities in a leader than strength and determination.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to their voters, have largely failed to deal effectively with the unpredictable American president.
Only 24 percent of respondents think that Merz has done well in his relations with Trump, while 34 percent think that he has done poorly, while Macron's relationship with the American president was rated as good by 16 percent and bad by 39 percent of respondents.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received a slightly better rating. The same percentage of respondents, 29 percent, believe that the British Prime Minister has treated Trump well or badly.
When it comes to EU leaders, only 11 percent of respondents in France believe that Brussels has done a good job in dealing with Trump, while 47 percent believe that EU leadership has mismanaged the relationship.
The survey found that people in Europe want their leaders to confront and challenge Trump, rather than prioritizing getting along with him, Politico reports.
However, when asked how their national leaders should behave, Europeans expressed the opposite view, saying that cooperation is more important than challenging the president.
More than 10.500 respondents in the US, Canada, Germany, France and the United Kingdom participated in the online survey from December 5 to 9.
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