Pew Survey: Americans Distrust Trump’s Foreign Policy
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- Pew Research Center conducted a survey March 23‑29, finding majorities of Americans have little or no confidence in President Trump’s handling of foreign policy.
- U.S.-Israel relations received the highest confidence rating, with 43% of Americans saying they are very or somewhat confident in Trump’s approach.
- Russia‑Ukraine war garnered the lowest confidence, with only 32% of Americans expressing confidence in Trump’s decisions on that conflict.
- Republicans (including Republican‑leaning independents) showed confidence ranging from 74% on trade policy to 60% on the Russia‑Ukraine war, while Democrats peaked at 16% for Israel and fell to 7% for Iran and the Russia‑Ukraine war.
- Older Republicans (age 50+) were 27 points more confident than younger Republicans on Israel (87% vs 60%) and generally more confident across all issues.
- Trump’s foreign‑policy competence has slipped over time, falling from 45% in 2024 to 40% in 2025 and 32% today on the Russia‑Ukraine war, with similar declines for Iran, China and North Korea.
Why it matters: Republican voters stay confident in Trump’s trade and Israel policies, while Democrats and younger Republicans show low confidence on Iran, China, and the Russia‑Ukraine war, widening partisan and generational gaps that underscore the difficulty of building broad foreign‑policy support for his second‑term bid.
