Most Canadians give Trump an 'F' for his first year back, Angus Reid finds
An Angus Reid survey finds 66% of Canadians would grade Donald Trump an F for his first year back in office, and 79% say they feel more fearful than hopeful about the year ahead.
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By Torontoer Staff
Two-thirds of Canadians would give Donald Trump an F for his first year back in the White House, according to a new Angus Reid Institute survey. The poll also found that roughly four in five Canadians feel more fearful than hopeful about the coming year.
The non-profit, non-partisan organisation surveyed 1,612 Canadian adults from Jan. 23 to 27. The margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
How Canadians graded Trump
Sixty-six per cent of respondents gave Trump an F for his first year in office. About 15 per cent awarded him an A or B, while half of those who voted Conservative in the last federal election gave him a C or better. The survey asked respondents to characterise Trump’s first year in a few words, and several descriptors dominated the results.
- Corrupt
- Chaotic
- Incompetent
- Disruptive
- Reckless
- Terrible
Public mood and media attention
Overall, 79 per cent of Canadians said they felt more fearful than hopeful about the year ahead. That anxiety appears to be driving increased attention to international affairs: 61 per cent reported following more U.S. news, and 57 per cent said they had been paying attention to more international news since Trump’s return to the White House.
That is pretty stark data in terms of where Canadians are in the world and how they see that relationship with the U.S. spilling over into their anxieties over the year ahead.
Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute
Political fallout at home
The survey also measured Canadian reactions to their own federal leadership. Nearly six in 10 respondents, 59 per cent, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling relations with Trump well, while 31 per cent said he is doing a poor job. Approval was strongest among Liberal voters, where 92 per cent expressed support; disapproval was concentrated among Conservative voters.
Kurl said the dynamic helps explain why many Canadians want leaders who will take a firm stance when U.S. policy appears to threaten Canadian interests. That sentiment, she said, fuels approval for politicians perceived as speaking up for Canada on the international stage.
Expectations for international instability
Respondents were also asked about broader geopolitical trends. Seventy-four per cent expect more regime-change operations in the future, while only eight per cent viewed recent events in Venezuela as an isolated incident. The survey included a parallel Angus Reid USA study, where 57 per cent of Americans said they felt fearful about the year ahead and 43 per cent said they felt hopeful.
The results reflect heightened public concern about how U.S. policy and rhetoric could affect Canada’s economy and sovereignty. Many Canadians used stark language to describe the return of a polarising figure to the White House and the anticipated ripple effects in trade and diplomacy.
What the numbers mean for everyday Canadians
For now, the survey captures public sentiment rather than policy outcomes. The high proportion of negative grades and the prevalence of fear suggest Canadians are watching U.S. developments closely and expect continued turbulence. That outlook could influence federal politics, media consumption and public debate in the months ahead.
The Angus Reid Institute survey provides a snapshot of opinion at the end of January. As events unfold in Washington and beyond, attitudes are likely to shift, but the current data points to clear unease among most Canadians about the near-term future.
CanadaDonald TrumpAngus Reidpublic opinioninternational affairs
