Prince William TROUNCES Donald Trump and Joe Biden in US popularity contest: British royal is the rare ‘unifying’ figure about whom Republicans and Democrats can agree
- The heir to the British throne is admired by supporters of both main parties
- American politicians suffer in these bitterly partisan times
- READ MORE: UK Royal Family ‘is distancing itself from Harry and Meghan’
Britain’s Prince William is proving a surprise hit in the US, polling much better among Americans than the country’s own heavyweight public figures.
Analytics firm Gallup asked US voters what they thought about 15 big names on the world stage, and the heir to the British throne came top.
The 41-year-old royal proved much more popular than such homegrown notables as President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.
Gallup acknowledged the ‘surprise’ of an English prince beating the ‘nation’s own democratically elected and appointed leaders’ in their own backyard.
Prince William of Wales and Catherine Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, dressed up to the nines for a family birthday
After all, the group said in a statement, Americans waged a war of independence nearly 250 years ago to escape the ‘tyranny of the British crown.’
It could be the latest sign of how deeply polarized American society has become, they added.
‘The US may need to look beyond its borders to find public figures that a majority of Americans feel good about,’ said the statement.
At home, it’s difficult to find somebody who ‘Republicans and Democrats can agree on,’ it added.
The polling group asked more than 1,000 adults nationwide whether they had favorable or unfavorable views of the 15 newsmakers.
The difference between those two percentage scores is their favorability rating.
Fully 59 percent of respondents described William favorably, and 22 percent unfavorably.
That puts the prince 37 percentage points above water.
That’s far ahead of every American politician in the survey, which was conducted last month.
Trump, Biden, his Vice President Kamala Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence are all underwater by more than 14 points.
The only Americans who pass the favorability test are First Lady Jill Biden and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
The only public figure to come close to Prince William was Ukraine’s embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) is more popular in the US than the country’s own leader, Joe Biden
Prince William came top by scoring well among Republicans as well as Democrats
Zelenskyy is lionized at home and in western democracies for his defiance in the face of Russia’s brutal invasion of his country.
But even the Ukrainian leader’s popularity is skewed by partisan politics.
Three quarters of Democrats have a favorable view of Zelenskyy, compared to just over half of Republicans.
‘Republicans’ ambivalence toward Zelenskyy mirrors their views on the Russia-Ukraine war,’ researchers said.
About half of GOP voters are ‘wanting to see the conflict end quickly and the other half supporting Zelenskyy’s goal of fighting for complete victory.’
Prince William, and his father King Charles III, are characters on whom Republicans and Democrats agree.
But there’s another — Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The former KGB agent is underwater by 85 points, thanks partly to Moscow’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian land and brutal military campaign there.
Putin’s favorability has sunk 13 points since 2018, and he’s ‘universally disliked’ by both Republicans and Democrats, Gallup says.
Source: Read Full Article
