US adults worry for their nation under Trump

Washington

AS the Trump administration embarks on a new course in foreign policy within its first year in office, roughly two-thirds of Americans report believing that the United States is less respected by other countries than it has been in the past, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll of US adults. The public has long held this view, including majorities when Barack Obama and George W Bush held office.

This perception of how the United States is seen around the world has also long been a partisan issue. However, there are substantial changes in how Republicans and Democrats view the relative level of global respect for the nation.

Today, 42 per cent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say the United States is less respected by other countries than in the past, the lowest percentage expressing this view in more than a decade. A greater share of Republicans say the nation is more respected internationally today than did so during Mr Obama's presidency or Mr Bush's second term, and 28 per cent suggest this constitutes a major problem for the country. At the same time, even at various points when Mr Obama was in office, majorities of Democrats viewed the US as less respected internationally; for example, 58 per cent said this in 2016. Now, 87 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaners say the US is less respected than in the past…