European trust in the United States has fallen to historic lows in a fresh embarrassment to President Donald Trump.
A major new survey found that only 1 in 10 people across 15 countries now considers America an ally, a collapse that researchers are linking directly to Trump’s foreign policy.
The poll, published by the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank ahead of upcoming G7 and NATO summits in France and Turkey, found majorities in every country surveyed no longer believe the U.S. would come to their aid if attacked.
Just 11 percent of respondents now view the U.S. as an ally, down from 16 percent six months ago and 22 percent in November 2024. Thirteen percent of Europeans now consider the U.S. a rival, and 12 percent a direct adversary.
The researchers attributed the freefall to Trump’s military aggression in the Middle East, his threats against Greenland, his vows to pull troops from European bases, and his open skepticism about the future of NATO.
“Across the continent, there’s clear support for reducing dependence on Washington,” said Jana Kobzová, a senior policy fellow at the think tank and co-author of the report. “Europeans are increasingly open to higher defence spending and, crucially, show a striking degree of confidence that neighbouring countries would come to their aid in a crisis.”
Co-author Paweł Zerka said the public mood had “created a window for Europe’s leaders to go further and faster” on security, with clear demand for self-reliance and a desire to hedge against U.S. defense guarantees.
The survey, conducted in May across Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, found Europeans on average 4 percent more likely to support higher national defense spending than a year ago. Italy was the only country where a clear majority still opposed it.
Support for collective European Union borrowing to fund defense came in at 47 percent, versus 35 percent opposed, with the strongest backing in Portugal, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In nearly every country polled, most respondents said their nation should reduce its strategic dependence on U.S. military hardware—a “buy European” sentiment strongest in Denmark, at 75 percent, followed by the Netherlands at 72 percent and Sweden at 70 percent.
Despite the anti-American mood, there was little appetite—just 29 percent support—for scrapping NATO in favor of an EU-only defense body. And in a sign that Europeans are still willing to separate Trump from America itself, majorities in most countries, including 60 percent or more in France, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden, said U.S.-European relations would “probably get better” once Trump leaves office.
There were limits to European unity on other fronts. Support for Ukraine joining the EU remained deeply divided, with opposition outpacing support even in Estonia—one of Kyiv’s most vocal backers. And while energy costs have risen sharply, 44 percent of Europeans said resuming oil and gas imports from Russia would still be a bad idea.
The White House has been contacted for comment.
