Turks favour Trump over Biden in a new poll
A new public opinion poll in Turkey has revealed cautious optimism regarding US President Donald Trump's return to the White House, while most Turks expressed strong dissatisfaction with former President Joe Biden's performance.
The online survey of 1,336 participants across Turkey, conducted by research and consultancy firm Stracom between 15 and 18 January 2025, showed that over one-third of respondents, 35.7 percent, view Trump positively, while a significant 43.49 percent hold a neutral stance.
In contrast, more than two-thirds of participants, 67.21 percent, expressed negative views about Biden's presidency.
Despite fluctuations in their relationship during Trump's first term, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained a longstanding rapport with him. Trump even provided Erdogan with his personal phone number at the time.
While Ankara officially refrained from endorsing any candidate during the US presidential campaign, Erdogan openly called Trump in July to convey his goodwill following an assassination attempt on the former president.
Erdogan also cancelled a planned visit to Washington in May to avoid meeting with Biden, who was facing criticism from Muslim Americans for his stance on the Israeli war in Gaza. In November, Erdogan publicly expressed his desire to meet with Trump as soon as possible and to resume intensive phone diplomacy.
Erdogan indicated that he intends to address key issues with the US president, including the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, the Syrian crisis and resolving disagreements over Ankara's acquisition of Russian-made S-400 air defence systems.
Low expectations
Despite the relatively favourable view of Trump, expectations for significant improvements in US-Turkey relations are limited amongst respondents.
Read More »Just over 30 percent of those polled anticipate positive changes under Trump's leadership, while the largest segment, 46.33 percent, believes the relationship will remain largely unchanged. Approximately one in five respondents, 22.83 percent, expect relations to deteriorate further.
The survey also highlighted the issues that Turkish citizens perceive as the most pressing between the two Nato allies.
An overwhelming majority, 64.45 percent, identified US support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, as the primary concern. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by both Turkey and the US, however, Washington backs the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria.
Meanwhile, 30.76 percent of respondents pointed to the presence of followers of the late Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen in the US as a significant issue. Turkey's removal from the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet programme followed closely, with 22.98 percent of participants identifying it as a key concern.
