America’s image worsens under Trump
> Survey shows more faith in Putin and Xi
BERLIN: The image of the US has deteriorated further among its traditional allies after a year in which President Donald Trump ratcheted up his verbal attacks on countries like Canada and Germany, a leading survey showed.
The survey of 25 nations by the Pew Research Center also showed that respondents from across the globe have less confidence in Trump’s ability to lead than they do in Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping.
Since taking office in January 2017, Trump has pulled the US out of international agreements like the Paris climate accord and Iran nuclear deal, cosied up to authoritarian leaders like Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and criticised his neighbours and Nato allies.
In June, after a G7 summit in Canada, Trump refused to sign a joint statement with America’s allies, deriding his host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as “very dishonest and weak”.
He has repeatedly attacked Germany for its trade surplus, low defence spending and reliance on Russian gas.
Last week, when giving a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump drew laughter from world leaders when he claimed to have achieved more in his two years in the White House than almost any other US administration in history.
The survey showed that America’s image, which took a big hit in 2017, Trump’s first year in office, continued to deteriorate in many countries in 2018, particularly in Europe.
Just 30% of Germans have a favourable view of the US, down five points from last year and the lowest score in the entire survey after Russia, on 26%.
Only 38% of French and 39% of Canadians said they had a positive view of the US, both down from last year. Mexico inched up slightly to 32%.
The countries with the most positive views of the US were Israel, the Philippines and South Korea, all at 80% or above.
Across all countries, the US got positive marks, with 50% saying they had a positive view, compared to 43% who were negative.
Just 7%of Spanish, 9% of French and 10% of Germans said they had confidence in Trump’s leadership. In 20 of the 25 countries surveyed, a majority said they had no confidence in Trump.
Across all countries, an average of 27% of respondents said they had confidence in Trump. That compared unfavourably to Putin, on 30%, and Xi, on 34%.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the only leader in which a majority of those surveyed, 52%, expressed confidence. French President Emmanuel Macron was just behind at 46%.
Despite Trump’s low ratings, 63% of respondents said the world was better off with the US as the leading power, compared to 19% who preferred China in that role. – Reuters