President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, approval of the United States has fallen by double-digit percentage points in multiple countries, according to a Pew Research Center poll released on Wednesday.
The drop in global support follows Trump’s decision to insult multiple nations by imposing tariffs on allies—and even threatening military action.
In total, support for the United States fell in 19 of the 24 countries that Pew surveyed.
“Majorities in most countries also express little or no confidence in Trump’s ability to handle specific issues, including immigration, the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S.-China relations, global economic problems, conflicts between Israel and its neighbors, and climate change,” the Pew report summarized.
Most respondents characterized Trump as arrogant and dangerous, and very few of the people surveyed regarded the only convicted felon to serve as president as honest.
Support for the United States significantly declines from Pew’s 2024 poll, when President Joe Biden was in office. Notable declines occurred among the closest U.S. allies, including a 32 percent decrease in Mexico, 20 percent in Canada, 10 percent in France, 15 percent in Japan, and 16 percent in Germany.
Only three nations view the United States more favorably than they did in 2024: Israel, Nigeria, and Turkey. Though support increased by just seven percent or less.
This loss of global support comes after Trump decided to unilaterally impose tariffs on a host of nations, increasing the costs for businesses worldwide.
On Tuesday, the World Bank announced that Trump’s tariffs disrupted global progress in the “soft landing” in recovery from COVID-19. The bank cited “turbulence” and lowered its projections of economic growth to the slowest in 17 years, outside of the 2008 and 2020 recessions.
When he isn’t disrupting global business, Trump has used his power to attack a steady succession of nations. He has repeatedly antagonized Canada, arguing that it should become the 51st state. He directly insulted the leaders of key allies like Ireland and Ukraine while reigniting his longstanding racist feud with Mexico, even renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Trump also floated the notion of using military force to take over Greenland, where he even deployed Vice President JD Vance, further inflaming tensions.
In more recent developments, Trump’s military invasion of Los Angeles is unlikely to improve global perceptions of the United States, not to mention the harassment and detention of international visitors and students.
U.S. tourism is also down under Trump, as he’s made the country more inhospitable to trading partners and allies. The ripple effect of his actions continues to hurt U.S. businesses that rely on spending by tourists, putting a black mark on the country’s global reputation.
Let’s just hope it’s not permanent.
Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.
