Trump’s push for Greenland reveals a political weak spot, new AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans may be willing to stick with President Donald Trump on almost every issue, but Trump’s latest push to gain control of Greenland has turned off many in his own party, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
Questionnaire Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research It turns out that nearly 7 in 10 US adults disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Greenland issue, a semi-autonomous region of NATO ally Denmark. That’s higher than the percentage of people who dislike Trump’s handling of foreign policy in general; This shows that Trump’s Greenland approach represents a weak point for the administration.
Even Republicans aren’t thrilled. About half disapprove of the attempt to turn the ice-covered landmass into American territory; While Trump insists it is critical to national security in the Arctic, about half approve.
The survey was conducted February 5-8 after Trump’s statement. decision to remove tariffs It was designed to pressure European countries to support US control of Greenland, but after weeks of efforts for American intervention on the island.
Nearly half of Republicans disapprove of Trump on Greenland
Trump’s base normally stands solidly behind him, so Greenland stands out as an exception.
Those ratings represent Trump’s lowest score among Republicans on a list of key issues in the poll, including the economy and immigration (8 in 10 approve) and foreign policy overall. Nearly 7 in 10 Republicans approve of his overall foreign policy approach.
Trump has argued that the United States needs Greenland to counter threats from Russia and China in the Arctic region, even though America already has a military presence there.
Other recent polls included Pew Research Center survey conducted in JanuaryIt found that Republicans were largely divided on whether the United States should take over Greenland, with Americans generally opposed to it.
Ayman Amir, a 46-year-old Trump supporter from Houston, Texas, said he agrees that Greenland is strategically important for the U.S. military. But that doesn’t mean Trump thinks he should request it.
“We can’t take this by force. We have no right to do this,” the chief said. “You can’t blame Russia for what they did in Ukraine and then do the same. You can’t do that.”
Trump’s overall foreign policy approval remains steady
The president withdrew his threat to seize the region by force late last month after saying a framework of agreement on access to Greenland had been reached with the help of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The conflict represents just one of Trump’s moves to strain relations with key allies over the past year. Western leaders are focusing on trans-Atlantic tensions at the Munich Security Conference this week.
In Greenland, Trump has few supporters at home and abroad.
Even as Trump made significant moves to gain control of Greenland, his overall approval on foreign policy remained steady. Nearly 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trump’s foreign policy approach; This measure has not changed in recent months.
Young Republicans particularly disapprove of Greenland approach
Young Republicans, in particular, are likely to disapprove of Trump’s handling of the situation.
While 6 in 10 Republicans under 45 say they disapprove of his leadership in Greenland, 4 in 10 older Republicans say they disapprove of his leadership in Greenland.
The 4 in 10 approval of Trump’s Greenland actions is much lower than younger Republicans’ approval of foreign policy, the economy or immigration.
Independent voter Aaron Gunnoe, 29, an engineer from Marion, Ohio, was stunned by Trump’s aggressive stance against his NATO ally.
“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said. “It belongs to someone else. This must be the end of it.”
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AP-NORC’s survey of 1,156 adults was conducted Feb. 5-8 using a sample from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. Overall, the margin of sampling error for adults is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. The margin of sampling error for Republicans overall is plus or minus 6.1 percentage points.
