Trump is the world leader who most inspires distrust among Latin Americans

Donald Trump’s popularity remains low in the United States, where 62% reject him, according to a survey Reuters/Ipsos. The situation is no different outside the country, when considering the assessment of distrust made in Latin America (LA) regarding leaders.

According to research Amlat Radar 2026from the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the president of the United States is the leader who most inspires distrust in the Latin American population.

Trump leads the ranking of distrust in AL with 25.4%, followed by the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, with 12.2%, the Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, with 5.1%, and the president of China, Xi Jinping, with 4.7%. President Lula is mentioned by 1.2%.

When Brazilians’ views are isolated, distrust against Trump reaches 26%, while that of Putin drops to 7%, that of Xi Jinping to 4% and that of Maduro reaches 1%. President Lula has 12% of citations among his compatriots, which is plausible given the Bolsonarist polarization in the country.

12 thousand people were interviewed from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Countries development model

The survey also assessed Latin Americans’ perception of which countries are considered the best development models for their nation in the future.

In this condition, in which more than one country can be selected, China emerges as the most recommended country, for 36.1%, followed by Japan, 31.7%, and the United States, 31.4%. In the Top 5 are still Canada (29.5%) and Germany (28.7%).

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This data shows how strong the positive Chinese image is in Latin America, with China seen as the main model for the future by the majority of respondents.

However, when considering the view of the Brazilian population, the first places are reversed, with the United States being the most cited, covering 34% of indications, closely followed by China with 31%. Then come Japan (26%), Canada (25%) and Germany (21%).

Word that defines China, USA and European Union

The study also asked respondents from Latin America which words best define China, the US and the European Union (not their leaders). The words indicated include: hope, security, distrust, admiration, fear and contempt.

The word most cited by Latin Americans about China is admiration (23%), followed by distrust (21%), hope (17%), security (13%), fear (7%) and contempt (2%). The rest did not know or did not respond.

Regarding the USA, distrust exceeds (31%). Then comes hope (19%), security (12%), admiration (11%), fear (8%) and contempt (7%). As for the European Union (EU), the word that stands out most among all is hope (24%).

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When considering only the opinion of Brazilians, distrust stands out, a word most frequently mentioned in China (21%) and the USA (27%). The percentage for hope (17%) is the same for both countries.

However, admiration reaches 15% in reference to China by Brazilians and is just 9% in relation to the USA. The percentage that reaches 10% of those who despise the United States is still noteworthy.

Regarding the European Union, the highest percentage (32%) is among those who did not know or did not respond, followed by hope (18%).

Another point to be highlighted by the research is the high percentage of Latin Americans who point to China’s global leadership in science and education (51%), artificial intelligence (61%) and technological development (75%), compared to the USA and EU. The Chinese approach in terms of economic power also stands out, with 38%, while the USA holds 42% of the scores.