The TOI correspondent from Washington: Time and again, US President and MAGA boss Donald Trump has claimed that foreign leaders have assured him that “we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world” and the US was dead before he saved it. It is the global equivalent of the hottest nightclub in town, a place where everyone wants to get in, everyone wants to invest, and everyone, presumably, wants a selfie. It is also, according to a sweeping new survey released Tuesday, comically disconnected from how the world actually feels about Trump himself.The 2026 Global Attitudes Survey by the Pew Research Center, which has been tracking global opinion of America for over two decades, now shows an overwhelmingly negative view of Trump, with a median of just 23% of adults expressing confidence in his leadership of world affairs. The MAGA supremo gets poor marks for his handling of virtually every major foreign policy issue Pew asked about, with a median of 74% of adults across 36 nations disapproving of how Trump is dealing with Iran.Trump’s tariff policies are also widely unpopular, with attitudes especially negative in nations with major trade ties with the US, including the U.K. (27% approve), India (18%), Canada (17%), Japan (15%), South Korea (14%), Mexico (11%) and Germany (8%). While the U.S. receives its highest rating in Israel, at 81% favorable, and remains popular in African countries despite Washington’s disdain for the continent, India is cooling off on Trump, with confidence in the US President decreasing from 51 per cent in 2025 to 39 per cent in 2026.The collapse in the notion of America as a reliable partner is particularly dramatic in the case of Canada. While the share of the public who considers the US a reliable partner has declined steeply across the world since 2022, Canada, America’s next-door neighbour, largest trading partner, and fellow democracy, has watched its confidence in the US crater by nearly 50 points, going down from 83% during the Biden era to 35% today. There are divorces that have been less acrimonious.Europe, in particular, is reacting to Trump with the enthusiasm usually reserved for a root canal. In France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy, roughly three-quarters or more voiced negative views; Germany fell from 83% to 39%, and Sweden dropped from 83% to 31%. That is not merely a diplomatic cold shoulder that was palpable during the recent G-7 meeting; it is a geopolitical restraining order.The global unpopularity might be more easily dismissed — Trump has never seemed particularly troubled by foreign public opinion, depending on individual flattery to make his point — were it not for the fact that his domestic numbers tell a parallel story. As of this week, Trump’s net approval in Nate Silver’s polling average stands at -18.9, far worse than his net approval rating at this point in his first term.One pollster has Trump’s approval at just 30%, an all-time low in their series, with only 26% approving of his handling of the economy while 70% disapprove. Aggregated polling averages now place Trump’s approval below 40% nationally, with disapproval approaching 60%. Most presidents retain at least one area of strength; Trump’s ratings are now negative across all major policy domains.In effect, Trump finds himself running two parallel PR campaigns: One is the America of his speeches, where foreign governments are allegedly desperate to sign deals, investors are flooding in trillions, and the US has become the most coveted address on Earth (only for the money; people are being turned away). The other is the America reflected in global surveys, where allies increasingly question Washington’s reliability, confidence in US leadership has fallen sharply, and many nations view American foreign policy with suspicion rather than admiration.Neither picture is entirely complete. The United States remains the world’s largest economy, its military alliances remain formidable, and many countries continue to rely on American power and munificence. Yet the Pew survey suggests influence and popularity are not the same thing. The US may still be the most powerful guest at the global party, but according to the survey, it is no longer the guest everyone is eager to sit next to.
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