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A recent survey covering nine EU countries indicates that almost one in two of participants see former US President Trump as a foe of the continent”.

This study also highlights a continent grappling with deep concern over security risks, felt domestic vulnerability, and a strong preference for continued EU membership.

Broad View of the Former President as a Adverse Figure

On average, close to 50% of those polled across the nine countries labeled Donald Trump as an clear enemy. This view fluctuated widely from country to country.

• Belgium had the highest rate of this opinion at sixty-two percent.
• This was followed by French respondents at fifty-seven percent.
• On the other hand, Croatia respondents showed more convinced at 37%.
• Polish respondents showed the most muted level at just nineteen percent.

“Across the region, the political movement associated with Trump is broadly viewed a hostile presence,” stated a political professor involved with the research.

Commentary suggests this negative perception is strengthening, with a declining number of people currently seeing him as a neutral figure and more labeling him as definitely adversarial.

Significant Sense of Risk of Conflict with Moscow

The poll found a sobering perspective on geopolitical threats. A slight majority of respondents believed the threat of direct military confrontation with Russia in the coming years was elevated, with an additional 18% rating it as extremely high.

This belief changed sharply based on geographic closeness to Russia.

• Polish respondents, which borders with Russia, seventy-seven percent saw a elevated risk.
• Meanwhile in French respondents at 54%, Germany at fifty-one percent, Portugal at thirty-nine percent, and Italian respondents at 34%.

“This finding would have been unthinkable just a few years ago and marks the shift of the continent's public sentiment toward a different security regime,” the professor commented.

Low Confidence in National Defense Capabilities

Accompanying this feeling of external threat was a widespread doubt in domestic defense preparedness.

Across all 9 nations, a significant sixty-nine percent of people said their country was “not really” or “not” able to defend itself against possible aggression from Moscow.

• Respondents in France emerged as the most confident, yet even there it was a minority view.
• Polish citizens, 58% expressed doubt in their country's military capabilities.

“We are entering an age of danger while feeling a lingering sense of national incapacity,” the analyst stated.

Powerful Backing for the EU and Its Defensive Function

Despite these concerns, the poll showed robust endorsement for the bloc. A full 74% of respondents expressed they wanted their nation to stay in the Union.

• This sentiment was highest in Portuguese respondents (ninety percent) and Spain (eighty-nine percent).
• Sentiment was weakest in Poland (sixty-eight percent) and France (sixty-one percent).

Additionally, regarding the UK's decision to leave the EU (the Brexit vote), sixty-three percent of respondents believed it had a harmful effect on the UK, with only nineteen percent seeing it as positive.

The research also pointed to a strong desire for the EU to assume a greater security role. Approximately 69% of people stated the bloc ought to fulfill such a part in tackling common challenges like digital security and military concerns.