Global Perception of the U.S. Falls Below China Due to Trump’s Actions

Global perception of the United States has deteriorated worldwide over the past year and is now worse than opinions about China, according to an annual democracy perception study released on Monday.

The survey did not detail the criteria used, but the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, which commissioned it, states that its goal is to defend and promote democratic values. When asked why the perception of the U.S. has declined, the founder of the Alliance and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen provided the following response.

– President Trump initiated a trade war, attacked the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office, left allies vulnerable, and emboldened enemies. It is no surprise that opinions have changed even among people like me who have spent their lives admiring the United States and what it stands for,” he added.

Trump stated that he advocates for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine and called on Thursday for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire between the two countries.

He also mentioned that tariffs protect the American economy from what his administration considers unfair trade conditions.

The findings of the Democracy Perception Index survey, conducted between April 9 and 23 with the polling company Nira Data, are based on over 111,000 respondents worldwide, the Alliance reported.

Trump’s perception was negative in 82 out of 100 surveyed countries, which is more than Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who were viewed negatively in 61 and 44 countries, respectively.

The survey also ranked countries’ perceptions from -100 percent to +100 percent.

The net perception score of the United States fell to -5 percent from +22 percent last year, indicating a higher number of respondents with a negative opinion of the country compared to those with a positive opinion.

The share of countries with a positive image of the U.S. dropped to 45 percent from 76 percent last year, the survey showed.

For China, the net perception increased to +14 percent this year from +5 percent last year, the survey indicated.

The report was released ahead of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which takes place on May 13 and 14.