A new poll makes clear that Donald Trump wrecked America’s reputation abroad, but the tides are turning under President Joe Biden.
The Pew Research Center surveyed 12 nations in both 2020 and 2021 – the final year of Trump’s presidency and the first year of Biden’s. In those 12 nations, “a median of 75% express confidence in Biden, compared with 17% for Trump last year.”
The sharp turnaround resonates with Biden’s message to global partners after his election: “America is back.”
It also comes as Biden is meeting with G7 leaders in Britain, his first trip overseas. The Associated Press provides context:
Biden seeks to reaffirm to allies his commitment to the U.S. role abroad, which stands in contrast to Trump’s “America First” approach. Biden will initially meet with Group of Seven leaders before continuing on to Brussels for a NATO summit, a meeting with heads of the European Union and several face-to-face meetings with other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.
The United States’ favorability rating grew at least 23 percentage points from last year in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, and a majority of respondents in all four nations now view America positively.
According to Pew, only Germany’s Angela Merkel received higher marks than Biden when respondents were asked to evaluate world leaders’ decision-making on world affairs.
America’s recommitment to the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement are both very popular abroad, each garnering an approval rating in excess of 85%. However, among all the publics surveyed, a median of just 37 percent think the United States has done a good job handling the pandemic.
America’s recent political turmoil has also taken a toll on its reputation as a model democracy. From The Washington Post:
Majorities in most places think the United States “used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years,” while up to about a quarter reject the notion that it has ever been a model democracy. Young people were particularly skeptical in about half of places surveyed.