Donald Trump's first global report card is out and the results are not good.
According to a report released Monday by the Pew Research Center, the President has triggered a precipitous decline in confidence in American leadership in dozens of countries around the world, including Canada and other close allies.
In Canada and Mexico, confidence that an American president will make the right choices in world affairs has fallen to its lowest point in at least 15 years (the Pew Center first began conducting its survey in 2002).
Over all, for the 37 countries surveyed, the median percentage of people expressing any trust in Mr. Trump was just 22 per cent. By comparison, at the end of president Barack Obama's administration, the same figure was 64 per cent. Just two countries – Russia and Israel – gave Mr. Trump higher marks than his predecessor.
Confidence in U.S. president to do
the right thing regarding world affairs
Confidence
0
100%
Trump
Obama
Diff.
Sweden
-83
-75
Netherlands
-75
Germany
-71
South Korea
-70
France
-68
Spain
22%
83%
-61
Canada
Britain
-57
Australia
-55
Japan
-54
Senegal
-51
Brazil
-49
Chile
-48
Mexico
-44
Italy
-43
Indonesia
-41
Colombia
-41
Peru
-36
Poland
-35
South Africa
-34
Turkey
-34
Ghana
-33
Kenya
-32
Hungary
-29
Tanzania
-27
Argentina
-27
Philippines
-25
Greece
-22
Lebanon
-21
India
-18
Vietnam
-13
Tunisia
-9
Venezuela
-6
Nigeria
-5
Jordan
-5
Israel
+7
Russia
+42
Confidence in U.S. president to do
the right thing regarding world affairs
Confidence
0
100%
Trump
Obama
Diff.
Sweden
-83
Netherlands
-75
Germany
-75
South Korea
-71
France
-70
Spain
-68
Canada
22%
83%
-61
Britain
-57
Australia
-55
Japan
-54
Senegal
-51
Brazil
-49
Chile
-48
Mexico
-44
Italy
-43
Indonesia
-41
Colombia
-41
Peru
-36
Poland
-35
South Africa
-34
Turkey
-34
Ghana
-33
Kenya
-32
Hungary
-29
Tanzania
-27
Argentina
-27
Philippines
-25
Greece
-22
Lebanon
-21
India
-18
Vietnam
-13
Tunisia
-9
Venezuela
-6
Nigeria
-5
Jordan
-5
Israel
+7
Russia
+42
Confidence in U.S. president to do the right thing regarding world affairs
Confidence
0
100%
Trump
Obama
Diff.
Sweden
-83
-75
Netherlands
-75
Germany
-71
South Korea
-70
France
-68
Spain
-61
Canada
83%
22%
Britain
-57
Australia
-55
Japan
-54
Senegal
-51
Brazil
-49
Chile
-48
Mexico
-44
Italy
-43
Indonesia
-41
Colombia
-41
Peru
-36
Poland
-35
South Africa
-34
Turkey
-34
Ghana
-33
Kenya
-32
Hungary
-29
Tanzania
-27
Argentina
-27
Philippines
-25
Greece
-22
Lebanon
-21
India
-18
Vietnam
-13
Tunisia
-9
Venezuela
-6
Nigeria
-5
Jordan
-5
Israel
+7
Russia
+42
Several factors are battering Mr. Trump on the world stage. The policy proposals which won him fans at home – including building a wall on the border with Mexico and exiting the Paris accord on climate change – are highly unpopular abroad. In many countries, Mr. Trump himself is viewed with apprehension, with large majorities labelling the President arrogant and intolerant, according to the survey.
Mr. Trump's unpopularity is also dragging down perceptions of the U.S. as a whole, the survey found. In Canada, for instance, the percentage of those polled who held a favourable view of the U.S. dropped to 43 per cent this year, down from 65 per cent the year before. It is the first time in the survey's history that fewer than half of Canadians have expressed a positive view of the U.S.
What Canadians Think
View of U.S. and President
among Canadians
100%
80
Favourable view
of the U.S.
60
40
Confidence in
U.S. President
20
0
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
Bush
Obama
Trump
View of U.S. and President among Canadians
100%
80
Favourable view
of the U.S.
60
40
Confidence in
U.S. President
20
0
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
Bush
Obama
Trump
View of U.S. and President among Canadians
100%
80
Favourable view
of the U.S.
60
Confidence in
U.S. President
40
20
0
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
Bush
Obama
Trump
Less than a quarter of Canadians have faith in Mr. Trump as a world leader, the survey showed. In Canada, the percentage of people expressing confidence in the U.S. President has plummeted, dropping from 83 per cent under Mr. Obama to 22 per cent at present. While that decline is dramatic, other countries delivered even harsher verdicts on Mr. Trump. Sweden, Germany, South Korea and France all registered larger decreases in confidence. In Mexico, only 5 per cent of those surveyed said they trusted Mr. Trump – the lowest percentage in the world.
Unpopular Policies
Approve or disapprove of Trump
policy to…
Withdraw U.S. support from the
Iran nuclear weapons agreement
34% approve
49% disapprove
Introduce tighter restrictions on those entering
the U.S. from some majority-Muslim countries
32%
62%
Withdraw U.S. support for international climate-
change agreements
19%
71%
Withdraw U.S. support for major trade agreements
18%
72%
Build a wall on the border between the U.S.
and Mexico
16%
76%
Approve or disapprove of Trump policy to…
Withdraw U.S. support from the
Iran nuclear weapons agreement
34% approve
49% disapprove
Introduce tighter restrictions on those entering
the U.S. from some majority-Muslim countries
32%
62%
Withdraw U.S. support for international climate-
change agreements
19%
71%
Withdraw U.S. support for major trade agreements
18%
72%
Build a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico
16%
76%
Approve or disapprove of Trump policy to…
Withdraw U.S. support from the Iran nuclear weapons agreement
34% approve
49% disapprove
Introduce tighter restrictions on those entering the U.S.
from some majority-Muslim countries
32%
62%
Withdraw U.S. support for international climate-change agreements
19%
71%
Withdraw U.S. support for major trade agreements
18%
72%
Build a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico
16%
76%
A major liability for Mr. Trump's worldwide reputation: people in many countries oppose his signature policies, sometimes in large proportions. Among the moves that meet with widespread disapproval outside the U.S. are withdrawing from trade agreements and instituting a travel ban on select Muslim-majority nations.
The Leader of the Pack
Confidence in leader to do the right thing
regarding world affairs
Don’t
know
Confidence
No confidence
Angela Merkel
42%
31%
18%
Xi Jingping
28%
53%
20%
11
Vladimir Putin
27%
59%
Donald Trump
22%
74%
8
Confidence in leader to do the right thing
regarding world affairs
Confidence
No confidence
Don’t know
Angela Merkel
42%
31%
18%
Xi Jingping
28%
53%
20%
11
Vladimir Putin
27%
59%
Donald Trump
22%
74%
8
Confidence in leader to do the right thing regarding world affairs
Confidence
No confidence
Don’t know
Angela Merkel
42%
31%
18%
Xi Jingping
28%
53%
20%
11
Vladimir Putin
27%
59%
Donald Trump
22%
74%
8
For a President obsessed with ratings and polls, this is perhaps the cruellest blow. On a global basis, Mr. Trump is viewed less positively than other major leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, the survey found. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, has emerged as a highly trusted leader on the world stage.
Graphics reproduced by Tom Cardoso from "U.S. Image Suffers as Publics Around World Question Trump's Leadership."
Source: Pew Research Center. The survey involved 40,447 respondents in 37 countries and was conducted from Feb. 16 to May 8, 2017. Margins of error varied among countries and ranged from +/- 3.2 percentage points to +/- 5.2 percentage points.