Filipinos most confident in Trump among 36 countries in global poll

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos gave U.S. President Donald Trump his strongest rating in a new 36-country survey, standing apart from a largely negative global view of the American leader and the United States.

The Pew Research Center survey found that 68% of adults in the Philippines have confidence in Trump to do the right thing on world affairs, the highest share among all countries surveyed.

Across the 36 countries, the median confidence rating for Trump was only 23%, while 76% expressed no confidence in him.

"Trump gets his best ratings in the Philippines, Israel, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana," Pew said in its report released June 23.

The Philippine result is striking given Pew's broader findings, which show a decline in U.S. standing globally. Across the countries surveyed, a median of 37% of adults held a favorable view of the U.S., while 57% had an unfavorable view.

In the Philippines, 56% viewed the U.S. favorably, while 41% viewed it unfavorably. Pew said that in several countries it has surveyed since 2002, including the Philippines, positive ratings for the U.S. are "at or near" their lowest levels.

Still, Filipinos were among the public's most likely to see the U.S. as playing a constructive global role. Pew found that 77% in the Philippines said the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world, while 74% said Washington takes other countries' interests into account when making foreign policy decisions.

Filipinos also gave Trump relatively high marks on specific issues. The Philippines was among five middle-income countries where a majority approved of how Trump handled international humanitarian aid, with 66% of Filipinos expressing approval.

Historically pro-U.S.

The latest findings echo Pew's 2024 survey, which also showed the Philippines as one of the more pro-U.S. publics. In that survey, 74% in the Philippines viewed the U.S. favorably.

Pew also found in 2024 that the Philippines was one of only two countries where at least 60% of adults had confidence in Trump, even as then-US President Joe Biden generally received higher ratings globally.

That year, 77% of Filipinos expressed confidence in Biden. — Camille Diola