The election of Donald Trump as US president and the start of his second term in the White House have raised many expectations in Central Europe, not least because of the resolution of the war in Ukraine. As part of the CEDMO Trends survey, we therefore investigated whether these expectations were positive or negative among the Czech and Slovak populations. The results of the survey, supplemented by an overview of widespread disinformation narratives related to the current US president, were published in a thematic report CEDMO Special Brief.
Overall, respondents’ expectations regarding the impact of Trump’s presidency on selected issues in the weeks following his inauguration were predominantly negative in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with significantly more negative responses in the Czech Republic than in Slovakia.
The survey was conducted in March, i.e. before the US imposed tariffs on the European Union in April 2025. It also took place after Zelensky’s meeting with Trump at the White House and before their meeting in the Vatican.
A positive influence of Donald Trump on resolving the war in Ukraine was expected by 38% of Czechs and 41% of Slovaks
Respondents in both countries had the greatest positive hopes regarding the development of the US economy, US relations with Russia, and the resolution of the war in Ukraine. Fifty percent of Slovak respondents and 44% of Czech respondents believed that Trump’s presidency would have a positive impact on the US economy. Positive developments in US-Russia relations were expected by 53% of Czechs and 44% of Slovaks. A positive impact on the resolution of the war in Ukraine was expected by 38% of Czechs and 41% of Slovaks.
Concerns about an agreement on Ukraine without its president
In connection with Ukraine, respondents in both countries were asked about their concerns regarding a scenario in which US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would agree on the fate of Ukraine without the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This scenario worried 58% of Czechs, but only 47% of Slovaks. Approximately one-fifth of respondents in both countries said they did not have a clear position on this issue (18% in the Czech Republic, 20% in Slovakia).
In Slovakia, CEDMO also surveyed respondents’ attitudes toward who they believe is the biggest obstacle to finding a solution to end the war in Ukraine and ensuring a so-called just peace. “Slovak respondents most often cited the Ukrainian side of the conflict (29%), followed closely by the Russian side (27%),” said Ivan R. Cuker, sociologist and data analyst at CEDMO. “An equal share of respondents identified the US and the European Union as the main obstacle to finding a meaningful end to the war (both sides 16%). One percent of respondents identified someone else as an obstacle, while 23% were unable to comment on the question[1].”
Most negative expectations
Respondents in both countries had the most negative expectations regarding the resolution of global climate change, with 68% of Czechs and 53% of Slovaks not expecting Donald Trump to have a positive impact. The second area with the most negative expectations was relations between the US and Europe, where 61% of Czechs and 41% of Slovaks expected a negative impact.
Main disinformation narratives related to Donald Trump’s inauguration
Czechia[2]: According to fact-checkers CEDMO (Demagog. cz, Demagog.sk, and AFP), after Trump took office, posts spread on Czech social media in connection with Europe and the war in Ukraine about fictitious statements by Trump, who allegedly called the EU a “third world country” and claimed that European leaders needed the conflict in Ukraine to cover up their corruption. These claims were labeled false by CEDMO fact-checkers. In connection with Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, posts also appeared claiming that American weapons supplied to Ukraine ended up in Mexico. However, these claims were not supported by facts.
Slovakia[3]: In Slovakia, following Trump’s false statement that Ukraine should never have started the war, posts attributing blame for the outbreak of war to Ukraine spread. However, international organizations operating in Donbas did not confirm the oppression of the Russian-speaking population. After Trump called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” in February 2025, the number of posts referring to Zelensky as a dictator increased. In reality, Zelensky must remain in office until the inauguration of a new president, as elections are prohibited in Ukraine during martial law.
[1] Respondents could select multiple answers to this question.
[2] More detailed information and links to fact checks can be found on pages 3–4 of the CEDMO Special Brief.
[3] More detailed information and links to fact checks can be found on page 2 of the CEDMO Special Brief.
The thematic report is available in the following versions:
- CEDMO Special Brief (data for the Czech Republic and Slovakia) – in Czech
- CEDMO Special Brief (data for the Czech Republic and Slovakia) – in Slovak
- CEDMO Special Brief (data for the Czech Republic and Slovakia) – in English
*CEDMO Trends offers unique insight into how people are changing their media consumption habits, focusing on specific types of information disorders, like misinformation and disinformation. These not only weaken public trust in institutions that are essential for a functioning democracy, but can also amplify individual infodemics. For CEDMO (Central European Digital Media Observatory), the research is conducted in the Czech Republic by the research agency Median on a representative sample of 2,700–3,000 respondents aged 16 and older.
The CEDMO TRENDS research is funded in the Czech Republic under project 1.4 CEDMO 1 – Z220312000000 Support for increasing the impact, innovation, and sustainability of CEDMO in the Czech Republic.
In Slovakia, it is conducted by the IPSOS research agency on a representative sample of 1,600–2,300 respondents aged 16 and older. Data collection in Slovakia was funded by the National Recovery Plan under the MPO 60273/24/21300/21000 CEDMO 2.0 NPO project.
