Poll Shows Growing Unfavorability Towards US Under Trump

The image of the United States tumbled across the globe under President Donald Trump and a majority of people in other countries disapprove of his ability to lead as well as his signature policies.

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Research by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan 'fact tank' based in Washington, says out of the 37 countries surveyed, favorable ratings for the U.S. have decreased globally to 49 percent from 64 percent at the end of Barack Obama's presidency.

The figures are similar to those towards the end of the George W. Bush's administration.

"The drop in favorability ratings for the United States is widespread," the Pew report said. "The share of the public opinion with a positive view of the U.S. has plummeted in a diverse set of countries from Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia and Africa."

Among those countries that saw sharp declines, some are Washington's closest allies in Europe and Asia, including Germany and Japan, as well as neighboring Mexico and Canada.

But around 41 percent of Russians now say they have a favorable view of the U.S., up from 15 percent at the end of the Obama era.

Trump took office in January promising to put "America First" and “Make America Great Again.”

Since then, he has forged ahead with his plans to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, restrict travel to the U.S. from some majority-Muslim nations and withdraw from the Paris climate accord. 

According to the survey, Trump’s Mexican wall plans are generating the greatest opposition.

In the countries surveyed, an average of 76 percent of those questioned disapprove, while only 16 percent are in favor. 

22 percent of the people surveyed are confident that Trump will do the right thing in global affairs, down from 64 percent from those who had confidence in the Obama adminstration.

Confidence in President Trump is also influenced by reactions to his character. 

Globally, 75 percent of respondents described Trump as “arrogant,” 65 percent as "intolerant" and 62 percent as "dangerous."

But he still has his supporters - 55 percent described him as a "strong leader."

The countries with the lowest confidence in Trump were Mexico and Spain, at 5 percent and 7 percent respectively. He received a higher score than Obama only in two countries: Russia and Israel. 

However, the survey showed that in many countries, a majority of respondents said they expected relations with the United States to stay roughly the same under President Trump.