The poll of more than 1000 respondents revealed that while 16 per cent of Aussies think Trump’s second term has been either good or very good for Australia, more than triple that figure – 56 per cent – think it’s been bad or very bad.
The proportion of Australians who view the United States as mostly harmful in Asia has also surged since Trump returned to the White House, up from 21 per cent last year to 33 per cent.
Despite that displeasure with the president, the research made clear that Australians remain supportive of the alliance with the US.
“Despite widespread unease about President Trump’s second term, Australians remain committed to the alliance,” USSC chief executive Dr Michael Green said.
“This underscores the resilience of the relationship beyond any single administration, but there are warning signs.”
Far more of the survey’s respondents thought the alliance makes Australia more secure than those who think it makes us less secure, and more than half disagreed with the idea of withdrawing from the alliance, compared to 17 per cent who agreed.
However, support for the United States in both questions had fallen from the year prior, when Joe Biden was president.
“Over the past four years, the majority of Australians consistently believed that the US alliance makes Australia more secure,” the study found.
“In 2025, only 42 per cent of Australians share this sentiment — a 13 percentage point drop from 2024 (55 per cent) and the lowest levels since USSC polling in 2022.
“Nearly a third of Australians (29 per cent) now believe the alliance makes Australia less secure — a figure that has almost doubled since 2024.”
The polling was released ahead of Albanese’s trip to Washington, where he will finally sit down with Trump in a formal, bilateral meeting.
While the AUKUS pact, Australian defence spending levels, tariffs, and security in the Indo-Pacific region could all be raised during the summit, critical minerals could also emerge as a key talking point for the two leaders.
“When it comes to critical minerals, Australia has so much to offer the world,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in Washington this morning.
“We know that American companies desperately need critical minerals, and Australia is very well placed to service that need…
“No doubt it will be part of the discussions that Prime Minister Albanese has with President Trump next week.”
