A full year of Trump's leadership has only solidified and in some cases exacerbated America's slide in standing around the globe.
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According to that survey, the United States has dropped to 8th most powerful country, down one slot from last year (7) and down four spots from 2016 (4). We were passed on the list this year by Australia which means that we are now down under the "land down under."
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How exactly has the world's view of the U.S. diminished in the age of Trump? You can see the "Trump effect" in a variety of different categories: The U.S. is seen as the 23rd most stable country politically, down from 21 last year and 11 before the onset of Trump; we're ranked 25th most trustworthy, down from 23 last year, when the world was preparing for a Trump presidency, and 17 the year before that, during the Barack Obama administration; in terms of political equality, the U.S. has slipped from seven two years ago to 13 last year to 16 this year.
And while Trump touts himself as a great businessman whose policies will rev the economy and return the country to the pinnacle of global commerce, perceptions around the world tell a different story. Trump's America is ranked as 43rd in terms of "open for business," down from 35th last year and 23rd before Trump. And we're seen as only the 53rd best country in terms of being bureaucratic, down from 23rd in 2016 and 35th last year.
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Not surprisingly, Trump has the highest global disapproval rating, 58 percent, among both political and corporate leaders; he even outpaces his hero, Russian President Vladimir Putin (44 percent disapproval). So he can take comfort in being number one in something. (Not surprisingly, Trump has the lowest approval rating of political and corporate leaders tested at 25 percent; Putin scores 34 percent approval while the most popular figure is Google's Eric Schmidt, with 65 percent.)
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And last week, for example, Gallup released its annual rating of world leaders which found that global approval of U.S. leadership had plummeted 18 percentage points – from 48 percent approval to 30 percent approval – in the transition from Obama to Trump. That's not only the dimmest view the world has taken of U.S. leadership since 2007, when Gallup started asking the question world-wide, it's also easily the biggest one-year drop. Oh and it puts us essentially on a par with China (31 percent approval) and Russia (27 percent) in the eyes of the globe.
