Political Elites and Attitudes Toward International Organizations in the Trump Era

Ping Xu, Nina Küssau, Ashlea Rundlett, Brendan Skip Mark, Caroline Fowler and Brian Krueger

Social Science Quarterly, 2025, vol. 106, issue 3

Abstract: Objective This study examines how political elites influence public opinion on international organizations (IOs), focusing on the impact of President Donald Trump's rhetoric on attitudes toward the World Health Organization (WHO), UN, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Methods Using data from the 2020 American National Election Studies (ANES), we analyze the relationship between Trump support, political knowledge, and public evaluations of these IOs. Results We find a significant “Trump effect” on attitudes toward all three IOs. Trump supporters exhibited significantly lower evaluations of the WHO, UN, and NATO. Moreover, highly knowledgeable Trump supporters were even more likely than their less knowledgeable counterparts to reduce their support for these organizations in response to Trump's rhetoric. Conclusions Our findings suggest that highly knowledgeable Trump supporters are more attentive to his political messages and better equipped to process and absorb them, leading to much more reduced support for IOs. This highlights the role of political elites in shaping public opinion on international institutions, particularly among politically engaged individuals.

Date: 2025
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