Filipinos love Trump

Filipinos are the biggest supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, an international research organization said.

Sixty-nine percent of Filipinos gave their vote of confidence to the new U.S. leader, said the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center.

"Trump's greatest support in the poll comes from Filipinos, 69 percent of whom say they have confidence in the U.S. president," it said in the survey.

About 1,000 Filipinos were part of the survey conducted from February 26 to May 8, 2017 said CNN.

Despite the high confidence in the U.S. President, majority of Filipinos disapprove of Trump's proposals and policies.

Trump's proposal to build a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico gained 61 percent disapproval rating. Sixty-eight percent of Filipinos disagree with his decision to withdraw U.S. from international climate change agreements.

Fifty-six percent of Filipinos disapprove of Trump's move to withdraw U.S. support from the Iran nuclear weapons agreement.

Across the 37 countries surveyed, a median of only 22 percent said they have at least some confidence in Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs, while 74 percent have little to no confidence in the new U.S. leader.

"Around the globe, confidence in the U.S. President is at some of the lowest levels measured by Pew Research Center over the past decade and a half," Pew Research Center said.

Other countries with high confidence in Trump are Nigeria (58 percent), Vietnam (58 percent), Israel (56 percent), and Russia (53 percent).

In Mexico, only five percent have confidence in Trump.

Fifty-five percent of Filipinos surveyed believe the relationship between the Philippines and U.S. will stay the same, while 26 percent think it will improve.

Majority of those surveyed worldwide said Trump is a strong leader, but few describe him as qualified and caring.

Sixty-nine percent of Filipinos described Trump as a "strong leader," while 67 percent said he is "well-qualified to be president."

Fifty-one percent said he is charismatic and 54 percent said he is caring about ordinary people.

However, nearly half of Filipinos interviewed for the survey believe Trump is arrogant (49 percent), intolerant (46 percent), and dangerous (41 percent).

President Rodrigo Duterte and Trump have cordial relations and have spoken by phone at least twice. The first in December 2016 when Duterte called Trump to congratulate him on winning the US presidency.

In a leaked transcript of an April 29 phone call between the two leaders, Trump praised Duterte's "unbelievable job on the drug problem," referring to the Philippine government's war on drugs, entering its second year in July.

The U.S. leader has invited his Philippine counterpart to visit the White House. Duterte has yet to accept.

Trump is expected in the Philippines in November 2017 for the ASEAN leaders' summit and related meetings in November 2017.

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