Global confidence in Trump stands at 23%, Pew survey finds
President Donald Trump likes to boast that under his leadership, the United States is the “hottest and most respected Country anywhere in the World.”
However, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, the president’s approval ratings among adults around the globe are at an all-time low. Pew surveyed 42,151 citizens of 36 nations and found that a mere 23% of international respondents expressed confidence in Trump’s leadership on world affairs, while overall sentiment about the United States is “largely negative.”
From his standing on the world stage to his handling of numerous foreign policy issues, here’s what you should know about global perceptions of the United States under Trump:
76% of international adults have ‘no confidence’ in Trump
All told, a median of 76% of adults across the 36 nations surveyed have “no confidence” in Trump, as Pew phrased it, compared with 23% who do have confidence in his leadership.
Likewise, less than a third of people in 26 of the 36 nations surveyed have confidence in the U.S. president.
Some of Trump’s lowest ratings came from nations with large Muslim populations, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where 87% of people have no confidence in him, as well as Turkey (92%), Pakistan (82%) and Malaysia (87%). Mexico and Sweden also have particularly dim views of Trump at 88% and 89%, respectively.
Of those nations that expressed a significant amount of confidence in the president, the Philippines led the pack at 68%, followed by Israel (66%), Nigeria (65%) and Kenya (63%).
How does the world view the US?
According to Pew, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey saw some of the most significant drops in favorable views of the United States, with each tallying double-digit declines over the past year.
Of the 36 nations polled, less than 10 view the U.S. favorably. That includes Israel at 81%, followed by 68% of Ghanaians, 63% of Nigerians and Kenyans, 61% of Colombians, 58% of Hungarians and 51% of Peruvians.
Simply put, a median of 37% of adults across the 36 nations surveyed have a favorable view of the United States, compared with 57% who have an unfavorable view.
Within U.S. borders, international respondents also tend to think that the government does not “respect the personal freedoms of its people,” according to Pew’s survey, at a median rate of 56% to 39%.
Is Trump’s foreign policy working for the world?
From international humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Iran, Gaza and Greenland, there’s not a single foreign policy issue included in Pew’s survey that people think Trump is handling well.
Here’s a snippet of each issue, and the median percentage of those who disapprove versus those who approve:
- International humanitarian aid: 56% vs. 37%
- U.S. immigration policies: 65% to 28%
- Venezuela: 63% to 22%
- Russia/Ukraine conflict: 72% to 20%
- Iran: 74% to 20%
- Gaza: 76% to 18%
- Tariffs: 77% to 18%
- Greenland: 68% to 14%
With so many global conflicts marring Trump’s second term, Pew found that just over a third of people across the globe think the United States contributes to international peace and stability (35%), and that the United States considers other nations’ interests when crafting and implementing foreign policy (32%).
Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].