Donald Trump is the second most trusted international leader for Romanians, after King Charles, according to an INSCOP survey. In contrast, Emmanuel Macron and Maia Sandu are losing ground, while Vladimir Putin is gaining points among AUR voters.
The data is presented in the INSCOP Research barometer, conducted between June 20-26, 2025.
Trust in Western leaders is declining, while Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are the only international leaders gaining the trust of a portion of the population – especially from rural areas.
Donald Trump, the current President of the USA, is the second most trusted international leader in Romania, with 30.5% of respondents stating that they have "quite a lot" or "a lot" of trust in him.
Support for Trump predominantly comes from men, individuals with moderate education, AUR voters, and rural residents, as well as from TikTok users.
Putin, on the rise due to anti-system rhetoric
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has a trust rating of 15.6% - a relatively low value overall, but significantly higher among AUR voters, where the level of trust is double the national average.
Indeed, the survey notes a clear association between anti-Western rhetoric and pro-Putin sympathies in traditionalist and less educated segments.
Macron and Maia Sandu, declining in popularity
Trust in Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, and in Maia Sandu, the President of the Republic of Moldova, is decreasing compared to March 2024.
Macron has a trust rating of 26.3%, while Maia Sandu scores 28.7%. Both are highly polarizing leaders: appreciated in educated urban areas, among PNL and USR voters, but rejected in rural areas and among AUR voters.
General context: a geopolitically divided Romania
According to Remus Ștefureac, INSCOP director, the data indicates a Romania divided between urban pro-Westernism and anti-system tendencies in rural areas, with major influences from the AUR discourse.
The recent political crisis and the cancellation of the presidential elections seem to have also affected trust in Western leaders.
Top of trust in international leaders
- King Charles - 45.5%
- Donald Trump - 30.5%
- Maia Sandu - 28.7%
- Emmanuel Macron - 26.3%
- Vladimir Putin - 15.6%