LONDON – The second Trump administration may have disrupted the feathers of its American allies, but there is also evidence that it has boosted world leaders scrambling to deal with the standard White House approach.
Some have won praise for meeting Trump head-on, while others hold a more nuanced line between praising the president and trying to strengthen their own interests against headwinds from Washington.
Canadian Mark Carney is poised to win next month’s election by refusing to President Donald Trump’s hostile advances. On the contrary, Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum became something of a Trump whisper, skillfully responding to his tariff threats and gaining praise for seeing her own popularity rise in response to it.
In Europe, British Prime Minister Kiel’s Preferred Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron have been fostered following their widely praised Trump strategy. And his numbers increased as Ukrainian president Voldymir Zelenki, who fought, tried to deal with Washington’s brave approach.
“The position of politicians who have to deal with the crisis brought about by President Trump’s presidency has led to an increase in popularity if they seem to make sense and appropriately do this,” said Dominique Greave, a former British Attorney General and former Conservative biller.
To be clear, Trump is not a panacea for leaders. Macron and starmer remain relatively unpopular and face harsh criticism of domestic issues that are likely to determine future elections. Similarly, while his countrywide future is questionable, good votes for Zelensky are limited in cheers.
Other analysts argue that the extent to which this popularity is growing is not just for Trump, but rather for the general environment of global instability and uncertainty about which part of Washington is.
“I don’t know how much of a Trump bounce or even a more international crisis bounce,” said Anand Menon, director of the changing European think tank UK. “Anxiety means there will be increased confidence in the government at least at first.”
Still, the sudden change in tone and policy from the White House is an undeniable factor.
Trump’s attack on Canada has seen a surprising shift for Carney’s liberals. They were heading for historic losses, but Trump’s onslaught saw them riding a new wave of Canadian nationalism, leading the polls at 45% over the April 28 election.
“Old relationship with the US,” Carney said at a press conference Thursday that it was “end.”
Shainbaum, Mexico, took action on immigration and fentanyl trafficking, opting for another tack, including sending 10,000 National Guard troops to the border. Not only did it fall behind Trump’s tariffs, it also won praise from the US president who called her a “great woman.”
At home, she mixed the strategy with cerebral nationalism, telling voters that it was “coordination, yes – submission, never.”
According to the February El Financiero newspaper, her already high ratings have risen to 85%.
According to British poller Ipsos, the UK has seen its priorities rise by 8.5 percentage points since February. It followed an oval office meeting with Trump, and he mixed the compote and compote.
He has pledged to raise UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, part of Europe’s wider tensions, about Trump’s commitment to the Transatlantic Alliance.
The economy and healthcare will likely decide the next election. But defense is now the third most important issue for British voters, most polls show. And according to an IPSOS poll conducted between March 14 and 17, it is defense and international trade that voters consider their priorities to be at their best.
“They’re one of the UK’s most respected voting experts,” said John Curtis, professor at Strathslide University in Scotland. “I think it’s safe to say that the public has realized he’s returned to the challenge.”
Another man playing drums in European defense is Macron from France. He and Starge lead an unofficial “Joyed Union.” This is a group of countries ready to send troops to Ukraine to support the final ceasefire.
Similarly, in the current international upheaval, Macron’s popularity rose to 31% in March, up 7 points from the previous month, according to an IFOP survey.
However, these numbers are still relatively low and may be fairly low for a moment. Macron won’t be able to run again in the next election in 2027, but his centralist risks losing his presidency to his current favourite, the far-right national rally.
The same goes for the priorities that Labour has slipped from last year’s landslide victory to parity with conservatives and right-right reforms.
For leaders who enjoy the instantaneous benefits of the changing European Britain, “I am not satisfied with the fact that things are getting a little better due to Trump’s uncertainty.”
