In Germany, a ratings drop for the US
The results aren't surprising, says Sophia Besch, a research fellow and European defense expert at the Centre for European Reform think-tank. "It's down to the unpopularity in Germany of the current (US) president."
The issue of defense spending was an issue in last fall's national elections in Germany, with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union party pushing for hitting the 2 percent target, while it was opposed by the center-left Social Democratic Party. "The Social Democrats said that spending more would be kowtowing to Trump," Besch says.
However, she adds, the American view on defense spending is more realistic, and the debate in Germany over its defense budget often fails to admit how much the country and Europe rely on America's military umbrella. She cited a recent poll that indicated how most Germans expect the United States to come to Germany's aid if it were attacked. "It's a bit hypocritical," Besch says.