Almost one in every two people in Malta dislikes Donald Trump, with a further third saying they are on the fence about him, according to a Times of Malta poll held in the first weeks of his presidency.

In total, only one in five hold a positive view of the newly re-elected US president, the poll finds.

While the local impact of Trump’s re-election may not be immediately evident, his early weeks in office sent shockwaves across Europe.

Earlier this month, he threatened EU leaders with tariffs on Europe, while Malta joined 78 other countries in condemning Trump’s sanctions on the International Criminal Court.

And, despite Malta’s foreign minister Ian Borg being one of a handful of government officials from around the world invited to Trump’s inauguration, most Maltese appear to be sceptical of him.

Under 25s and middle-aged most enthusiastic about Trump

The outspoken and frequently controversial Trump seemingly gains most sympathy among young people under the age of 25 and people gearing up for retirement.

Middle-aged respondents between the ages of 54 and 65 are the most likely of all to look upon the US president favourably, with over one in four saying they hold a positive view of him.

They are also the group most likely to be undecided, with almost half saying they don't have either positive or negative things to say about Trump.

And fewer than a third of this age group disapprove of Trump, the only group to fall below the 40% mark.

Meanwhile, one in every four respondents under the age of 25 say they like Trump, with only 43% saying they are not keen on him, less than most other age groups.

By contrast, Malta’s older heads are the most sceptical of Trump, with only 17% of over 65s saying they like what they see.

PN voters more likely to dislike Trump

PN voters are more likely to be dismissive of Trump than Labour voters or people who plan to abstain next election, the poll indicates.

While one out of every two people who plan to vote PN next election say they look upon Trump negatively, only one out of every three Labour voters feel the same way.

And a quarter of Labour voters say they like Trump, compared to a fifth of PN voters.

Meanwhile, those who plan to scrap their vote next election stand in between the two parties.

Like PL voters, a quarter say they are Trump fans, but they are more likely to also hold a negative view of Trump.