Skip to main content

Trump

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.