Is Trump Making China Great Again? Poll Shows Western Allies Prefer Beijing Over US Led By Him

Last Updated:March 19, 2026, 22:04 IST

Citizens in Canada, France, Germany, and UK increasingly view China as more reliable – a trend attributed to the Trump administration's turbulent and unpredictable foreign policy

American President Donald Trump’s got his ‘MAGA’ campaign right but not in the way he expected. Instead of “making America great again", his current administration may have inadvertently helped China rise in global esteem, especially among traditional western allies so coveted by the United States in the past – from Canada and Germany to France and the United Kingdom.

This historic realignment of global power dynamics was revealed in a recent poll conducted by The Politico and it points to a dramatic erosion of trust in American leadership among its closest traditional partners. According to the poll data, citizens in Canada, France, Germany, and the UK now increasingly view China as a more reliable partner than the US – a trend largely attributed to the turbulent and unpredictable foreign policy of the Trump administration.

And all this comes as Trump, joined by Israel, wages war against Iran in West Asia. With the Gulf countries also under attack from Tehran, the conflict has led to a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz – a key energy artery – upending global markets and having repercussions far beyond the region.

WHAT DOES THE POLL DATA SAY?

The data from the recent poll by The Politico, which was conducted in partnership with Public First, indicates that this China-driven sentiment is most pronounced in Canada.

The data shows that a staggering 57 percent of respondents favoured China over the US as a dependable partner, compared to just 23 percent for Washington. Similar sentiments are echoed across Europe; in Germany, 40 percent prefer China over the US (24 percent), while even in the UK – traditionally Washington’s staunchest ally – China has edged ahead with 42 percent as compared to 34 percent for the US.

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