The world loathes President Donald Trump about as much as it loved former President Barack Obama, according to the Pew Research Center in its Global Attitudes Survey released Wednesday.
Among 32 countries surveyed, Trump had a mere median of 29% in those expressing confidence he will do right thing in world affairs, according to Pew. The poll was taken in the summer months, well before an impeachment saga and the latest Iranian conflict.
In past surveys of former U.S. presidents, Obama had a median of 64% in those expressing confidence he would do the right thing in the final years of his administration.
To be fair, Trump has promoted an American First agenda, while Obama's administration was far more globalist in its foreign policy. It stands to reason Trump would inspire less confidence in those from countries other than the U.S.
After all, Trump has, as Pew noted:
- Imposed tariffs to leverage new trade deals.
- Withdrawn from foreign climate agreements because of inequitable funding.
- Worked to fund and build the border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Worked to curb illegal immigration into the U.S.
- Withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump is more negatively viewed than even Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Trump's fiercest domestic opponents loathe profusely. In fact, Trump is the most negatively viewed leader among German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Pew.
"Views of the U.S. president are closely linked to attitudes toward the United States as a whole, both at an individual level and across countries," according to Pew's findings. "In nearly every country surveyed, people with a favorable view of the U.S. are more likely than those with an unfavorable view to have confidence in the U.S. president.
"Similarly, countries with a higher share who view the U.S. positively tend to have more people who trust the president to do what is right in foreign affairs. For example, the two countries with the most confidence in Trump – Israel and the Philippines – are also among the most favorable toward the U.S."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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