USSC Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett spoke with Politico on the United States Studies Centre's recent "Allies and partners poll 2026," saying that while Australians remain “deeply concerned” about the state of U.S. politics and democracy, those views had largely stabilised since Trump’s inauguration last year and that to "the extent that Australians understand the Quad, they’re seeing it as potential cooperation — not as a replacement for the U.S. alliance — but building a network of partnerships around the region."