The fawning over Donald Trump by some media elements runs counterintuitively to how Australians have responded to a US based Pew Research Centre survey on attitudes towards the American president.

Most of them consider him ‘dumb, dangerous and dishonest’. Similarly unfavourable views are expressed by respondents in Sweden, Canada and Mexico.

Trump has deserted his NATO allies in their strong defence of Ukraine and expressed his objection to the previous US administration for allowing Ukraine to retaliate against Russia with longer range drones and missiles. Not surprisingly Russia’s Vladimir Putin sent him birthday wishes for yesterday. Interestingly, Trump has no tariffs on Russia, North Korea, Belarus or Cuba, all police states.

Never mind his tariff impositions not being the act of a friend. Nor is his lack of support for a two-state solution in the Middle East and his failure to take action against two Israeli ministers for their incendiary comments, something all the other ‘Five Eyes’ countries have agreed to do, including the conservative government of New Zealand.

Its worth remembering that even his vice-presidential choice, JD Vance, once called him an ‘idiot’ and ‘reprehensible’.