The newest global survey on President Donald Trump tells a story that is bigger than one leader’s approval rating. Around the world, many people are expressing doubt about Trump’s handling of world affairs. They are also questioning whether the United States is still the steady partner it has long claimed to be.
A Pew Research Center survey of 42,151 adults in 36 countries found that a median of just 23% have confidence in Trump to handle world affairs. The poll was conducted from February 8 to May 13, 2026, during a period of intense global tension over trade, wars, immigration, and America’s democratic image. Pew also found that favorable views of the United States have declined in many countries, with a 36-country median of only 37% holding a favorable view of the U.S.
That matters because American power has never depended on military strength alone. It has also depended on trust. Allies need to believe that Washington’s promises will last longer than one election cycle. Trading partners need to know the rules will not shift without warning. Smaller nations need confidence that U.S. support is not merely a short-term bargain. Right now, that confidence looks weaker.
Trump’s Global Ratings Show a Confidence Gap
Trump’s international ratings are poor across much of the survey. Pew found that in 26 of the places surveyed, 30% or less of the public expresses confidence in him. In Turkey and in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, confidence falls into single digits. The survey also found no country where attitudes toward Trump became more positive compared with available 2025 trends.
For Washington, this is not just about popularity. Foreign governments can work with leaders they dislike. They do it every day. The real issue is predictability. When a U.S. president is viewed as unpredictable, allies become more cautious. They may still cooperate, but they build backup plans. They may still sign agreements, but they read the fine print more carefully.
This is the quiet damage that weak global confidence can cause. It does not always look like a dramatic diplomatic break. Sometimes it looks like slower negotiations, colder public opinion, and governments quietly preparing for the possibility that America may change direction again.
The U.S. Reliability Problem Is the Real Warning
The strongest warning in the data is not simply that Trump is unpopular. It is that fewer people see the United States itself as a reliable partner. Pew reported that the share of people who describe the U.S. as reliable has declined steeply in many countries since the question was last asked in 2022.
Canada offers the clearest example. In 2022, 83% of Canadians described the United States as a reliable partner. In 2026, that number dropped to 35%. Pew also noted large declines among several countries with long-standing economic and security ties to the U.S.
That Canada number should alarm Washington. Canada is not a distant rival. It is one of America’s closest neighbors, trade partners, and defense allies. The two countries share supply chains, energy systems, border security, military cooperation, and deep cultural ties. If trust can fall that sharply in Canada, then the problem is already inside America’s closest circle of friends.
This does not mean Canada or other allies are walking away from the United States. They cannot simply replace Washington overnight. But it does mean they may begin to treat American policy as something to manage carefully rather than trust automatically.
Tariffs Have Become a Symbol of U.S. Unpredictability
Trade policy is one of the clearest ways foreign publics feel American power. Tariffs are not abstract. They affect factories, farms, ports, consumers, investment plans, and supply chains.
Under Trump, tariffs have become a powerful symbol of American unpredictability. Pew found that Trump’s tariff policies are widely unpopular. Kenya was the only surveyed country where a majority approved of his handling of tariffs. Approval was especially low in several major U.S. trading partners, including Germany, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom.
For many American voters, tariffs are framed as a way to protect domestic workers. Abroad, they can look very different. They can suggest that access to the American market now depends on political pressure, sudden demands, or short-term leverage.
That perception matters. Businesses and governments build long-term plans around stable rules. When Washington appears willing to change those rules quickly, partners start asking uncomfortable questions. Should they depend less on the U.S. market? Should they strengthen regional trade ties? Should they reduce exposure to American political swings?
That is how trade disputes become trust disputes.
Foreign Policy Disputes Are Damaging America’s Image
The survey also shows broad dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of major global issues. A median of 74% across the 36 countries disapprove of how Trump is dealing with Iran. On Gaza, no surveyed country had a majority approving of Trump’s handling of the conflict.
These numbers suggest that foreign publics are not reacting to one policy in isolation. They are responding to a pattern. Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, tariffs, immigration, Greenland, and humanitarian aid all feed into a larger judgment about American leadership.
The danger for the United States is that allies begin to see Washington as powerful but less careful. Rivals do not need the world to love them to benefit from that shift. They only need enough countries to doubt America’s steadiness. Every decline in trust gives China, Russia, and other competitors more room to argue that the U.S. is no longer the dependable leader it claims to be.
America’s Democracy Image Is Now a Foreign Policy Issue
For decades, America’s global influence rested partly on the belief that the U.S. stood for democracy, civil liberties, and constitutional stability. That image is now under pressure.
39% across the 36 countries surveyed say the U.S. government respects the personal freedoms of its people, while 56% say it does not. In 12 of the 13 countries where Pew last asked this question in 2021, the share saying America respects personal freedoms has declined by double digits.
That matters because domestic politics no longer stays domestic. Foreign audiences watch American court battles, immigration fights, election disputes, political violence, and culture wars in real time. When the U.S. presents itself as a defender of freedom abroad, those audiences judge the message against what they see happening inside America.
Soft power is fragile. A country can remain strong while becoming less admired. It can remain necessary while becoming less trusted. That is the uncomfortable space America now appears to occupy in much of the world.
The World Is Not Leaving America. It Is Hedging.
We should not mistake declining trust for declining relevance. The United States remains central to the global system. Its military reach, financial markets, universities, technology companies, intelligence networks, and alliances still give it unmatched influence.
But influence is not the same as trust.
What the survey shows is not a world that has stopped paying attention to America. It shows a world watching America more carefully. Allies may still cooperate, but with more safeguards. Trading partners may still negotiate, but with more caution. Smaller countries may still seek U.S. support, but they may also search for alternatives.
That is the real warning behind Trump’s poor global marks. America is still powerful enough to shape world events. But power without trust becomes harder to use.
The United States has not lost its place in the world. It has lost some of the automatic confidence that once made leadership easier. Rebuilding that trust will require more than strong speeches or sharper diplomacy. It will require proof that America’s commitments can survive its politics.
