Canadians' view of leadership in Washington plunges: Gallup poll

In the wake of a stormy stretch in Canada-U.S. relations, the Canadian view of American leadership has plummeted.

Gallup’s latest survey of Canadian opinion , conducted in May and June, found approval of Washington slipping to 15 per cent, statistically in line with sentiment when Donald Trump was president the first time.

Canadian opinion of leaders in Washington has fluctuated over time, showing a clear connection with who is sitting in the White House. For example, Canadian approval of American leadership averaged 61 per cent under Barack Obama, compared with 19 per cent in Trump’s first term and 41 per cent under Joe Biden.

Aside from an uptick in 2021, only a minority of Canadians have approved of Washington since 2017.

The latest downturn comes in the midst of diplomatic and trade tensions. Since returning to the White House, Trump has introduced high tariffs and continued with rhetoric suggesting Canada should become the “51st state.”

Gallup asked about four global powers during it recent World Poll. Germany’s leadership received the most positive ratings from Canadians. A slim majority of Canadians (54 per cent) approve of Berlin.

Canadians have a higher approval rating for Beijing than they do for Washington. It sits at 23 per cent, up eight points from last year’s poll.

Otherwise, the 79 per cent of Canadians who disapprove of U.S. leadership is statistically close to the 82 per cent who disapprove of Russia’s.

Meanwhile, Canadians’ view of their own leadership has improved considerably, rising 19 points from last year to 59 per cent now. The increase followed Mark Carney replacing Justin Trudeau as Liberal party leader and prime minister in March and his election victory in April.

Approval of Trudeau fell from 64 per cent in 2016 — his first full year in office — to a low of 40 per cent in 2024.

However, Canadians are gloomy about the state of the economy. Their optimism dropped to a new low in 2025, with 27 per cent saying their local economy is getting better, compared to 63 per cent who think it’s getting worse.

The share of Canadians who say it’s a good time to find a new job has fallen sharply down from 74 per cent in 2022 to 32 per cent in 2025. This is the lowest level of job optimism since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020 and the 2009 financial crisis.

The housing affordability crisis also remains widespread in Canada. One in four adults are satisfied with the availability of good, affordable housing, compared with 72 per cent who are dissatisfied.

Weak economic sentiment poses a test for Carney, says the folks at Gallup. “Sustaining public support may depend on whether his administration can reverse declining optimism and navigate a complicated relationship with Washington.”

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