OTTAWA — Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated claim that Canada has been ripping off the United States, new polling suggests the proportion of Americans identifying Canada as their country's most important ally has doubled.
Twelve per cent of Americans polled by the Pew Research Center in March named Canada as their country's most important ally, up from six per cent in 2023.
The survey of more than 3,600 Americans found that 18 per cent cited the United Kingdom as their most important ally, down from 22 per cent in 2023.
Meanwhile, 74 per cent of a subset of 1,804 American poll respondents reported having a favourable view of Canada — though the poll found a deep split along party lines.
Just 61 per cent of Republican respondents had a favourable view of Canada, compared to 87 per cent of Democrats.
At 77 per cent, Japan topped the American poll respondents' ranking of other nations, followed by Canada and Italy at 74 per cent each and the U.K. at 70 per cent.
The agency surveyed 3,605 adults in the U.S. from March 24 to 30 through a survey conducted online and by phone, weighted for demographics.
Trump says Prime Minister Mark Carney is going to visit Washington within days, but Carney's office has yet to confirm that is happening.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
