Major NATO countries think US doesn’t help deter enemies anymore, reveals poll
File photo of NATO country leaders during a summit in The Hague in 2025. Photograph: (AFP)
More people in Canada, the UK, France, and Germany now feel that the United States is an unreliable ally. More importantly, American military power is increasingly seen as an uncertain asset, as many respondents said they did not believe enemies would not attack because of ties with the US.
The reputation of the United States seems to be eroding among NATO allies and raising fresh questions about America’s strength on the world stage and the global order that it has sustained for decades. A poll conducted by POLITICO shows that President Donald Trump’s efforts to rewrite longstanding international relationships are repelling longtime, traditionally loyal partners of the US. More people across countries, including Canada, UK, France and Germany, said the US was an unreliable ally. They included half the adults polled in Germany and 57 per cent in Canada.
American credibility was highest in the UK, but only by comparison, as 35 per cent of Britons said the US was a reliable ally and 39 per cent said it was unreliable.
‘American military power is increasingly seen as an uncertain asset’
More importantly, American military power is increasingly seen as an uncertain asset. Many respondents in France and Germany said they did not believe enemies would be afraid to attack them because of their relationship with the US.
In just one year, there has been a 10 per cent drop in the share of UK adults who still see the US as an effective deterrent against enemy attacks.
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The online survey, conducted by the independent London-based polling company Public First, reveals that trust in the US has dropped sharply among four key NATO allies amid a series of disputes with Washington over the past year.
Moreover, negative perceptions of the US outweigh positive ones on key measures, including whether it protects democracy, shares their values, and acts as a reliable ally.
Trade rows, aggressive rhetoric, and push to seize Greenland rocked ties
After US Vice President JD Vance’s address to the Munich Security Conference last year shocked his European hosts, trade rows, aggressive rhetoric, and a Trump-led push to seize Greenland from the Kingdom of Denmark have rocked the ties between Washington and NATO allies.
The poll also shows that more people do not feel the United States shares their values or protects democracy, a long-standing American tenet.
In France, just 17 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that “the US shares our values” versus 49 per cent who disagreed. In Germany, 50 per cent of respondents said the United States did not share their values, while just 18 per cent said that Washington “protects democracy.”
However, adults across the key NATO countries still expressed some hope for the future. In Germany, France and the United Kingdom, people said that Trump has weakened the relationship with their countries, but it can recover after he is gone.
