Revised Perspective: Dwindling Confidence in America's Trustworthiness under Trump's Leadership and Concerns over Potential Deals Harming Taiwan
America's trust in Donald Trump plummets according to survey results
With a slightly more than 40% decline in faith, Taiwanese respondents view the U.S.'s assurance for Taiwan's protection during President Donald Trump's second term as noticeably weaker than it was during his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. The "American Portrait Survey" conducted by Academia Sinica, Taiwan's premier research institution, in mid-March, questioned 1,249 adults, shedding light on this sentiment.
Almost a quarter (21.1%) of respondents foresee a "much less" commitment to Taiwan's security from the U.S., while an additional 23.3% expect a "somewhat less" involved stance under Trump. Meanwhile, only 5.7% anticipate a "somewhat more" commitment, and 4.6% predict "much more," meaning that the largest share - 38.5% - believe the level of protection will stay the same as it has been in recent years.
Notably, 59% of respondents are worried that the U.S. and China might strike a deal that could adversely affect Taiwan's national interests, as articulated in the survey released on Friday by Wu Wen-chin, a research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of Political Science. This anxiety reflects growing unease among Taiwanese regions about Trump's diplomatic strategy and its potential consequences for U.S.-Taiwan relations.
In last year's edition of the survey, conducted during Biden's presidency, Taiwanese population was asked if the U.S. would deploy troops if China launched an attack on Taiwan. At that time, 15.3% thought "definitely" the U.S. would not intervene, while 16.4% believed it was "unlikely." However, this year's survey indicates a substantial increase in doubt. The number of respondents who believed the U.S. "definitely would not" intervene in a military conflict jumped to 18.7%, and those who deemed it "unlikely" rose to 23.7% - a combined increase of over 10%.
Perceptions of trust in the U.S. also plummeted this year. Last year, 50% of respondents negatively disagreed with the statement that the U.S. is a trustworthy country. This year, the figure climbed to 59.6%.
Set up by Academia Sinica's Institute of European and American Studies, the survey is part of a 10-year research program that commenced in 2021. Carried out by the Election Study Center at National Chengchi University, telephone interviews were conducted from March 18 to 23, gathering 1,249 valid responses from Taiwanese residents aged 20 and above with household registration in Taiwan. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.77%.
Additional Insights:
- Taiwanese people's trust in the U.S. during the Trump era has dwindled, as reflected in a recent Brookings Institution poll. With only 37.5% of respondents believing it is "likely" or "very likely" the U.S. would intervene in a military conflict, the figure represents a decline from 44.5% in July 2024[1][2].
- While the detailed comparison of trust levels during the Biden and Trump administrations is not directly available in the sources, the former administration's more traditional approach to U.S. foreign policy, emphasizing security commitments and diplomatic engagement, likely contributed to higher trust levels among Taiwanese people compared to current uncertainties under Trump.
- The decline in trust during Trump's second term can be attributed to factors such as the imposition of unexpected tariffs that question U.S. commitments, growing skepticism about its reliability, and political messaging critical of U.S. motives from Chinese officials emphasizing Taiwan as a strategic tool[3][4].
- Taiwanese respondents have shown a significant decrease in trustworthiness perceptions towards the United States under President Trump's leadership, with a rise from 50% to 59.6% negatively disagreeing that the U.S. is trustworthy.
- Worries about potential deals between the U.S. and China that could harm Taiwan's national interests are prevalent among Taiwanese residents, with 59% expressing concerns in a survey conducted by Academia Sinica's Institute of Political Science.
- The concern over Taiwanese migration due to the perceived weakening of U.S. commitment to Taiwan's security has increased under the Trump administration, as indicated by a substantial increase in the number of respondents that believe the U.S. "definitely would not" intervene in a military conflict.
- In the realm of politics and general news, the war-and-conflicts policy and legislations, as well as the crime-and-justice sector, are under scrutiny as Taiwanese people reevaluate their position on U.S. trustworthiness during Trump's second term.
- The Biden administration's traditional approach to U.S. foreign policy, emphasizing security commitments and diplomatic engagement, may have been a factor contributing to higher trust levels among Taiwanese people compared to the uncertainties under Trump, as evidenced by a comparison with a Brookings Institution poll from July 2024.
