NEW DELHI: The global image of the United States has fallen behind both Russia and China under US President Donald Trump, according to a new international survey that pointed to growing global unease over Washington's foreign policy, tariffs and military actions.
Democracy Perception Index Findings
The latest Democracy Perception Index by the Denmark-based Alliance of Democracies Foundation found that America's global standing has declined for the second straight year during Trump's second term. Trump's repeated claims of American strength and supremacy did not reflect in the survey findings, which showed the US slipping behind both Vladimir Putin's Russia and Xi Jinping's China in global perception rankings.
Impact of US Policies
The report hinted that Trump's policies over the past two years, including aggressive tariffs, tensions with allies, military confrontations and threats against countries such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba, have unsettled many nations and strained ties with NATO allies. There has also been growing concern over the US-led conflict involving Iran and the wider instability in the Middle East, which has pushed up oil prices and created pressure on global trade and shipping routes.
Expert Commentary
Alliance founder and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the decline in America's image was "saddening but not shocking." "US foreign policy over the past 18 months has, among other things, called into question the transatlantic relationship, imposed widespread tariffs, and threatened to invade a NATO ally's territory," Rasmussen said.
Survey Methodology and Results
According to the survey, the US net perception score dropped from +22% two years ago to -16% this year. Russia stood at -11%, while China recorded a positive score of +7%. The study was conducted by polling firm Nira Data between March 19 and April 21, based on responses from more than 94,000 people across 98 countries. The report was released ahead of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit and also comes before Trump's visit to China.
CNN Survey on US Economy
A new CNN survey shows that most Americans are unhappy with President Trump's handling of the economy. The poll found that only 30% of people approve of his economic performance, while 70% disapprove. It also says his disapproval ratings have been rising during his second term. In his first term, they never went above 50%, but now they started at 56% and have gone up since then.
The poll was conducted before the April jobs report, which showed that the US added 115,000 jobs and unemployment stayed at 4.3%. A later report also said inflation rose to 3.8%, as the conflict in Iran pushed up food and energy prices.
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