US image declines since Trump return: survey

The international image of the United States has sharply deteriorated following President Donald Trump’s return to office, with widespread disapproval of both his character and policies, according to a global survey released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday.

The survey, conducted across 24 countries, found that US favorability has dropped in 15 nations, with President Trump personally receiving some of the lowest confidence ratings globally.

Trump’s worst approval came from neighboring Mexico, where a staggering 91% of respondents said they had no confidence in his ability to handle world affairs. Tensions over immigration and Trump’s past disparaging remarks about Mexico have fueled the decline.

Both Mexico and Canada—nations that had held favorable views of the US during Joe Biden’s presidency—now report majorities seeing the United States unfavorably. Trump's provocative remarks, including suggesting Canada should be the "51st state," have only widened the rift.

The US image has also taken a substantial hit across Europe. In Poland—once one of Washington’s staunchest allies amid the Ukraine conflict—opinions have soured as Trump reduces US support for Kyiv and pushes for a negotiated settlement with Moscow.

Sweden, which joined NATO under Biden after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, posted the worst rating for the US among all countries surveyed, with 79% expressing negative views.

Globally, majorities in nearly all surveyed nations rejected Trump’s key foreign policy positions on Ukraine, Gaza, immigration, and climate change. The survey also highlighted personal criticisms of the US leader: 80% described Trump as arrogant, and only 28% viewed him as honest.

Not as Unpopular as First Term

Despite the overall decline in America’s image, the global perception of Trump is not as dismal as it was during his first term in 2017, when he succeeded the widely popular Barack Obama.

Interestingly, US favorability remained relatively high in Nigeria and Kenya—two countries that have traditionally viewed America positively regardless of its leadership—and in India, where favorable opinions of the US remained steady.

Trump’s second term has been marked by sweeping policy shifts, including deep cuts to foreign aid and intensified deportation efforts. However, Pew’s researchers noted that Trump’s economic approval ratings were comparable to those of Biden globally.

Part of the shift may reflect broader political trends. “The past decade has seen the normalisation of right-wing populism globally,” said Janell Fetterolf, a senior researcher at Pew.

In Brazil, Trump’s approval rose to 34%—far higher than the 14% recorded during his first term—possibly benefiting from ideological affinities with former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Across the board, Trump’s support was consistently stronger among men, conservatives, and right-leaning voters. Yet even in European countries with strong far-right parties, like Sweden and France, Trump struggled to win a majority of confidence even among those voter bases.

The Pew survey polled 28,333 adults across 24 countries between January and April 2025.