Political Elites and Attitudes Toward International Organizations in the Trump Era

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7168185
AutoresP Xu (0000-0002-0097-9365, Department of Political Science University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island USA, autor de correspondencia), Nina Küssau (University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island USA), Ashlea Rundlett (Department of Political Science University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island USA), Brendan Skip Mark (Department of Political Science University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island USA), Skip Mark (0000-0002-4524-9809, University of Rhode Island), Caroline Fowler (Department of Political Science University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island USA), Brian S Krueger (University of Rhode Island), Brian Krueger (Department of Political Science University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island USA)
Año2025
Volumen106
Número3
Fecha de publicación2025-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocial Science Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0038-4941 • E-ISSN: 1540-6237
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ssqu.70012
OpenAlexW4409359714
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas76

Objective This study examines how political elites influence public opinion on international organizations (IOs), focusing on the impact of President Donald Trump's rhetoric on attitudes toward the World Health Organization (WHO), UN, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Methods Using data from the 2020 American National Election Studies (ANES), we analyze the relationship between Trump support, political knowledge, and public evaluations of these IOs. Results We find a significant “Trump effect” on attitudes toward all three IOs. Trump supporters exhibited significantly lower evaluations of the WHO, UN, and NATO. Moreover, highly knowledgeable Trump supporters were even more likely than their less knowledgeable counterparts to reduce their support for these organizations in response to Trump's rhetoric. Conclusions Our findings suggest that highly knowledgeable Trump supporters are more attentive to his political messages and better equipped to process and absorb them, leading to much more reduced support for IOs. This highlights the role of political elites in shaping public opinion on international institutions, particularly among politically engaged individuals

Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · European Union Policy and Governance · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies