America’s image in the eyes of its global allies took a hit for the second straight year under the leadership of President Trump, a Pew Research Center survey found.
Of people surveyed in 25 countries, only 50% had a positive view of the U.S., a figure roughly even with Pew’s 2017 survey and down from the 64% that saw America positively at the end of the Obama administration. The number of people who see the U.S. unfavorably, however, increased to 43% this year from 39% in 2017.
One silver lining for Trump in the global survey was that his approval rating improved to 27% from 22% a year ago. In the U.K., for example, Trump’s approval rose mostly among supporters of conservative parties like UKIP. In Germany, France, and Spain, however, Trump’s approval rating sank even further and now stands at 10% or below in those countries.
Trump fared especially poorly when compared with other global leaders. German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a 52% approval rating, while 46% approved of French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump’s 27% approval rating was even smaller than the 30% for Russian President Vladimir Putin and 34% for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
And while most people surveyed said they would still prefer to have the U.S. be the top global power, they also saw China as more likely to assume that role in the future. Among respondents, 70% said the U.S. was unlikely to take into account the interests of other people and 51% felt America didn’t respect the personal freedoms of its own people.
The sentiments in the survey echo the reception that Trump received at the U.N.’s General Assembly last week. As Trump boasted about his administrations accomplishments, members of the assembly openly laughed at him. “I didn’t expect that reaction but that’s okay,” Trump said, drawing even more laughter.
Trump has made several moves that put off or alienated longtime allies of the U.S., including pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord and a nuclear deal with Iran, criticizing the NATO alliance, and chiding leaders in Canada and Germany who criticized him while praising authoritarian rulers like Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
