Americans' Perceptions Of Threatening World Leaders

During a historic summit in Singapore between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, the North Korean leader committed Pyongyang to "work towards" the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in return for security guarantees. In the first ever meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader, there was warm chemistry and firm handshakes. Ahead of it, the rhetoric from both camps was also positive, an astonishing turn around after decades of hostility. In the past, Trump called Kim Jong-un "Little Rocket Man" while Pyongyang labeled him a "mentally deranged dotard".

Ahead of the summit, Kim Jong-un also visited South Korea and made his desires for peace on the peninsula known. Despite that, the American public still considers him one of the top threats to global peace and security. Politico conducted a poll just before the events in Singapore and when asked to name two national/world leaders who pose the greatest threat to world peace/security, Kim Jong-un came top with 43 percent.

Vladimir Putin was in second place with 42 percent while many Americans still don't trust their own president on the world stage. Trump rounded off the top-three with 26 percent. The research revealed an interesting partisan divide: among Democrats, Trump is considered the world's most threatening leader with 48 percent, a figure that's higher than both Putin (46 percent) and Kim Jong-un (40 percent).