Australia’s faith in its alliance with the United States has plummeted during Donald Trump’s second presidential term, with polls showing a dramatic loss of trust in the superpower. A Lowy Institute poll from June 2025 found that 72% of Australians have little or no confidence in Trump to “do the right thing”, while a YouGov survey for the Australia Institute in November revealed that only 8% believe Australia shares values with modern America.
The Australian-American Memorial in Canberra, a towering eagle statue originally built to honour US wartime sacrifice, now symbolises for some a malevolent power monitoring a subordinate. Analysts say the alliance, which has underpinned Australian security for seven decades, depends on the social licence of the Australian people—a belief that the partnership serves national interests.
Trump’s aggressive foreign policy—including the abduction of Venezuela’s president, threats to seize Greenland, and intervention in Iran—has eroded confidence. Former Labor foreign ministers Gareth Evans and Bob Carr have both questioned the alliance’s future, with Evans stating that Trump’s America has “zero respect for international law, morality and the interests of its allies”.
Despite the collapse in trust, support for the alliance itself remains robust. Michael Fullilove of the Lowy Institute notes that eight out of 10 Australians still consider the alliance fairly important to national security. He argues that Australians distinguish between Trump and the broader US, and that the alliance remains strategically sensible for a nation of 27 million people.
However, analysts agree there will be no return to the liberal world order after Trump’s term ends in January 2029. The superpower’s role in the Pacific remains critical, but the relationship has fundamentally shifted, with many Australians now viewing the US as an unreliable ally.
