US image plunges around the world
BERLIN: The image of the US has deteriorated sharply across the globe under President Donald Trump and an overwhelming majority of people in other countries have no confidence in his ability to lead, a survey from the Pew Research Centre showed.
Five months into Trump’s presidency, the survey spanning 37 nations showed US favourability ratings in the rest of the world slumping to 49% from 64% at the end of Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House.
But the falls were far steeper in some of America’s closest al- lies, including US neighbours Mexico and Canada, and European partners like Germany and Spain.
Trump took office in January pledging to put “America First”. Since then he has pressed ahead with plans to build a wall along the US border with Mexico, announced he will pull out of the Paris climate accord, and accused countries including Canada, Germany and China of unfair trade practices.
On his first foreign trip as president in early June, Trump received warm welcomes in Saudi Arabia and Israel, but a cool reception from European partners, with whom he clashed over Nato spending, climate and trade.
Just 30% of Mexicans now say they have a favourable view of the US, down from 66% at the end of the Obama era. In Canada and Germany, favourability ratings slid by 22 points, to 43% and 35%, respectively.
In many European countries, the ratings were comparable to those seen at the end of the presidency of George W Bush, whose 2003 invasion of Iraq was deeply unpopular.
The survey, based on the responses of 40 447 people and conducted between February 16 and May 8 this year, showed even deeper mistrust of Trump himself, with only 22% of those surveyed saying they had confidence he would do the right thing in world affairs, compared to 64% who trusted Obama.
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with confidence ratings of 27% and 28% respectively, scored higher than Trump. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with a confidence rating of 42%, scored highest among the four leaders in the survey. – Reuters