re: Contacts
Europeans who are regularly in contact with the US either professionally or through newspapers like the Herald Tribune know very well there's opposition to the president in the US. Also among scientists in contact with their peers, it's the case.
But the average not-familiar-with-english european will not make that distinction that easily (if they don't follow the news) . And it's up to us to explain.
Local newpapers writing about international news do relate about the growing opposition.