A recent YouGov survey reveals that a majority of Europeans, including some far-right voters, are hoping for Kamala Harris to win the upcoming U.S. election. The poll indicates widespread anticipation of potential violence in the U.S. if Donald Trump loses.
The survey, conducted across the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Denmark, shows Harris as the preferred candidate for a significant majority of respondents. The exception is Italy, where Harris is favored over Trump but does not secure a majority, receiving 46% support.
Denmark showed the highest support for Harris, with 81% of respondents wishing to see her as U.S. president. Support for her is particularly strong among centrist and left-leaning voters, reaching 90% among the Greens in Germany and the Venstre party in Denmark.
Interestingly, some far-right voters also prefer Harris. While supporters of far-right parties in Germany, Spain, the UK, and Italy lean toward Trump, those from Sweden’s nationalist-populist Sweden Democrats show a preference for Harris. In France, supporters of far-right leader Marine Le Pen favor Harris over Trump by 46% to 31%.
Conversely, Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Spain’s Vox party exhibit the strongest support for Trump, with 50% and 54% respectively favoring him.
Despite the overall preference for Harris, many Western and Southern Europeans remain uncertain about her chances of winning. While a majority believe she would defeat Trump, the confidence varies, with 43% in Italy and 61% in Germany expressing this view.
Concerns About Violence If Trump Loses
There are significant fears among Western Europeans regarding potential violence in the U.S. if Trump is defeated by Harris. In Denmark, 73% believe that violence is “definitely” or “probably” likely if Trump is not elected. Similar sentiments are echoed in other countries, where 62-67% of respondents share these concerns, although only 47% in Italy think violence is highly probable.
This fear likely stems from the events surrounding the Capitol riots in January 2021, when Trump encouraged his supporters to challenge the election results. He has continued to promote theories of election fraud in the current cycle, framing the Capitol rioters as patriots and political prisoners through his social media channels.