We read respondents in 24 countries a list of seven characteristics and asked whether or not each one describes U.S. President Donald Trump.
- A median of 80% – and majorities in almost every country surveyed – see Trump as “arrogant.”
- A median of 67% across the countries surveyed agree Trump is “a strong leader,” with 90% in Nigeria, 84% in Argentina, 83% in Israel and 80% in Hungary saying this describes him.
- A median of 65% see Trump as “dangerous,” a view that’s especially widespread in Australia, Germany, Mexico, Sweden and Turkey. Comparatively fewer see Trump as dangerous in Nigeria (25%), India (36%) and Israel (44%).
- Fewer overall see Trump as “able to understand complex problems” (42% median), “well-qualified to be president” (41%) and “diplomatic” (41%).
- Trump gets his lowest ratings on being “honest” (28% median). Only in Nigeria and Kenya do majorities say this describes him.
For detailed responses to these questions by country, read Appendix C.
Across this range of characteristics, men tend to have more positive ratings of Trump’s leadership qualities than women.
For example, in 19 countries, men are more likely to say Trump is well-qualified to be president and that he is honest. In 18 countries, men are more likely than women to say Trump understands complex problems. In 15 countries, men are more likely to say Trump is a strong leader. And in 11 countries, women are more likely than men to say Trump is dangerous.
How do people describe Trump?
Arrogant
A median of 80% across the 24 countries surveyed describe Trump as arrogant. This sentiment is especially widespread in the Netherlands (93%), Spain (93%), Sweden (93%), Canada (91%), Australia (91%) and Mexico (90%).
Many more people see Trump as arrogant compared with his predecessor, Joe Biden. For example, 93% of adults in the Netherlands see Trump as arrogant, compared with 9% who said the same of Biden in 2021. This pattern holds for all 12 countries where we surveyed in both 2025 and 2021.
(The 2021 survey was fielded during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made face-to-face surveying more difficult. Since we mostly conduct face-to-face interviews in middle-income countries, no middle-income nations were included in that year’s survey.)
Strong leader
Majorities in 18 countries say Trump is a strong leader. This view is up substantially in 19 countries where we surveyed in both 2017 and 2025.
Notably, increased sentiment that Trump is a strong leader appears even in places where confidence in him is not particularly high.
For example, in South Korea, where only 33% of adults have confidence in Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs, 70% say Trump is a strong leader, up from 47% in 2017.
Strong leadership is one characteristic where Trump has comparatively higher ratings than Biden in a few countries.
For example, 69% of Japanese see Trump as a strong leader in 2025, compared with 42% who said this of Biden in 2021. Similar differences are seen in Greece, Italy and South Korea.
But Trump is seen as less of a strong leader relative to Biden’s ratings in Canada, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Dangerous
Majorities in most countries surveyed see Trump as dangerous. Only in Nigeria, Israel and India do fewer than half of respondents say this describes him.
In a few countries, more people see Trump as dangerous now than in 2017. This includes South Africa, where 53% consider Trump dangerous in 2025, compared with the 41% in 2017.
In every country where we can compare ratings from both 2021 and 2025, Trump is seen as comparatively more dangerous on the world stage than Biden. Some of these differences are large, such as the 73-point gap measured in Sweden.
Able to understand complex problems
Fewer than half of adults in 17 countries say Trump is able to understand complex problems, while majorities in four countries say this describes him.
In 14 nations, half of adults or more think Trump is not able to understand complex problems.
(This characteristic was not included in our 2021 survey about Biden.)
Well-qualified to be president
A median of 41% say Trump is well-qualified to be president.
Compared with Biden’s 2021 ratings, Trump is seen as less qualified to be president in every country where data is available.
But relative to the start of Trump’s first term in 2017, sentiment that Trump is qualified to be president is up significantly in most countries surveyed.
Diplomatic
Relatively few around the world see Trump as diplomatic. A median of 41% across the 24 countries say this describes Trump.
Relatively high shares say Trump is diplomatic in Nigeria (86%) and Kenya (65%), compared with under two-in-ten in Australia, Canada, Germany and Sweden.
(This characteristic was not included in our 2021 survey about Biden.)
Honest
Trump’s lowest rating is on honesty. A median of 28% across the 24 countries surveyed say this describes him.
As few as 12% of adults in Mexico and 14% each in Sweden and Turkey describe Trump as honest. And even in Israel, where Trump’s confidence ratings are high, fewer than half (46%) say he is honest.
Only in India, Kenya and Nigeria do half of adults or more say Trump is honest.
(This characteristic was not included in our 2021 survey about Biden.)
