Over one-third of Turks see Trump’s return as positive development for Turkey

More than one-third of Turks believe that Donald Trump’s return to the White House will be a positive development for Turkey, according to a recent multi-country polling report published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in collaboration with Oxford University’s “Europe in a Changing World” project.

The study, “Alone in a Trumpian World: The EU and Global Public Opinion After the US Elections,” conducted on 28,549 people across 24 countries in November, immediately after the US presidential election, was published on Wednesday.

The survey revealed that people in many countries around the world are optimistic about a second Trump presidency, believing it will not only benefit America but also bring peace or reduce tensions in Ukraine, the Middle East and US-China relations, while Europeans are nearly alone in lamenting Trump’s election.

According to the study Turkey is among the leading middle powers where citizens are optimistic about Trump’s return, with majorities or significant portions of the population in countries like India, China and Brazil, in addition to Turkey, believing that his return will be beneficial for global peace, their own countries and American citizens.

When asked whether they thought Trump’s election as US president was a good or bad thing for their country, 35 percent of Turks responded that it was a “good thing,” while 30 percent expressed the opposite view. The remaining 35 percent of respondents said neither option reflected their opinion or that they did not have an opinion on the matter.

While 53 percent of Turks believed that Trump’s election was a “good thing” for American citizens, only 17 percent felt it was a “bad thing” for them.

In terms of global peace, 38 percent of participants in Turkey believed that Trump’s election was beneficial, while 30 percent felt it would have a negative impact.

The study defined Turkey as a popular middle power, with most other countries viewing it primarily as a partner, saying that seeking a more effective partnership with Turkey should become one of the EU’s most urgent priorities.

It noted that such a rapprochement could “boost the EU’s influence in shaping the new Middle East order, beneficially influence the expected Russia-Ukraine negotiations and strengthen the bloc’s influence in Africa.”