00:00Global trust in the United States is rapidly declining.
00:03The U.S. maintained hegemony through strong cooperation and trust
00:06with allies and friendly nations, but that's now collapsing.
00:09Today, let's take a closer look at this issue.
00:11Let's get right into it.
00:12First, let's take a look at the Pew Research Survey.
00:15Recently, the Pew Research Center reported that in 25 of 36 countries and regions,
00:19China had a higher favorability rating than the United States.
00:22Countries with a higher favorability toward China included major U.S. allies
00:26such as Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
00:30On top of that, President Xi Jinping is now receiving more positive evaluations than President Trump.
00:35In fact, out of the 36 countries, 22 said they would trust President Xi Jinping more.
00:39The Pew Research Center has tracked global public opinion for 20 years,
00:43but this is the first time China has surpassed the United States.
00:46If we look at the figures in more detail,
00:48until 2023, the global favorability rating for the United States was 58%,
00:52while China's was only 32%.
00:54But when the survey was conducted again in 2026,
00:57the United States dropped sharply to 36%,
01:00while China rose dramatically to 46%.
01:03Notably, the shift in perception among the United States' key allies was dramatic.
01:07For instance, Canada's favorability rating for the U.S. fell from 57% in 2023 to just 33%.
01:12During the same period, the favorability rating for China rose sharply from 14% to 44%.
01:18Analysts say the decline in favorability toward the United States
01:21was heavily influenced by President Trump's diplomatic approach and trade policies.
01:25After taking office, President Trump again prioritized America first,
01:29putting U.S. economic interests above all.
01:32In particular, he made trade issues a key priority
01:34and implemented large-scale tariff policies targeting several countries.
01:38President Trump said the U.S. had faced a massive trade deficit for years
01:42and insisted strong measures were needed to fix this unfair trade structure.
01:46As a result, not only China, but also major allies in Europe and Asia
01:50were included in the scope of tariffs,
01:51raising concerns in the international community
01:53about the direction of the United States' economic policies.
01:56In particular, close allies of the United States expressed dissatisfaction
02:00with the fact that the U.S. was exerting economic pressure on them
02:02separately from their security cooperation.
02:04In the past, the United States was strongly perceived as a country leading free trade
02:08and international policies in the global economic order.
02:10But after the Trump administration's tariff policies,
02:13there have been assessments that the U.S. is shaking up the existing order for its own interests.
02:16The Trump administration's tariff policies faced legal challenges,
02:21with some measures halted by the Supreme Court during review.
02:25President Trump used other legal grounds to push for the introduction of new tariffs.
02:29During this process, analysts pointed out that the international community
02:32increasingly viewed U.S. policy direction as unpredictable.
02:35Above all, President Trump's expansion of military involvement
02:38has most impacted the United States' international image.
02:42Despite often stating that the U.S. should avoid deep overseas wars
02:46and pledging to reduce unnecessary conflicts,
02:49his actions have shaped global perceptions.
02:52However, after taking office, his actual actions have been seen
02:55as moving in a different direction from those statements.
02:57After military action in Venezuela in 2026 and clashes with Iran,
03:01the international community increasingly sees the United States
03:04as actively intervening in foreign conflicts.
03:06In particular, the biggest controversy during the war with Iran
03:09was the issue of prior consultation with allied countries.
03:12The United States was criticized for not having sufficient discussions
03:15with its key allies in the Gulf region during the attack on Iran.
03:18These countries have long cooperated on security with the United States,
03:22but were strongly dissatisfied about not getting enough advanced information
03:26despite the risks to their own territories and key facilities.
03:30European allies voiced similar concerns.
03:32Since U.S. military actions directly affected international security,
03:36critics noted the lack of consultation with allies
03:38and trust in U.S. diplomatic decisions started to erode.
03:42In particular, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
03:44that occurred after the clash with Iran
03:45had a significant impact on the global economy.
03:48Instability in the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy route,
03:52became a direct burden for countries reliant on Middle Eastern oil.
03:55As U.S. military actions led to economic damage for its allies,
03:58concerns about U.S. security policy also grew.
04:01In addition, Iran expanded its attacks to Gulf countries close to the United States,
04:05and as a result, even countries that were not directly involved in the war
04:08found themselves in a state of military tension.
04:10The Gulf countries started to doubt if security cooperation with the United States
04:14would truly protect them in a real crisis.
04:17The Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration
04:19was considering withdrawing U.S. troops stationed in Kuwait.
04:22Kuwait has long served as a key U.S. military base in the Middle East,
04:26but analysts say the presence of U.S. troops may not only strengthen security,
04:30but also increase the risk of attacks from Iran.
04:33From Kuwait's perspective, concerns have grown that the country could become a target
04:36of military conflict if the United States cannot provide complete defense.
04:40Another factor that has been pointed out as undermining trust in the United States is,
04:44it was President Trump's frequent changes in stance.
04:46President Trump repeatedly made strong statements on major diplomatic issues,
04:50only to issue messages in a different direction not long after.
04:53This was especially evident in the case of Iran.
04:56President Trump would warn of strong measures against Iran
04:58and mention the possibility of military action,
05:00but the next day he would emphasize the possibility of dialogue
05:03by saying that negotiations with Iran were underway.
05:05As statements kept changing,
05:07the international community said predicting the U.S. response became difficult.
05:11In international diplomacy, the message a country's leader sends has a significant impact
05:16on the decisions of both allies and adversaries.
05:19As President Trump rapidly alternated between tough and conciliatory statements,
05:24concerns arose about understanding U.S. policy direction.
05:27Countries with security ties to the U.S. became even more sensitive,
05:30since America's choices could directly impact their security and economy.
05:34President Trump's communication style sparked controversy
05:37as he used truth social to directly announce major policies
05:40and positions on international issues, unlike previous presidents.
05:43Supporters saw this as a more direct form of communication than traditional politicians.
05:48However, allies and diplomats worried that personal messages
05:51were overriding official diplomatic procedures.
05:53Many of those messages were not serious
05:56and often included derogatory remarks about certain countries.
06:00President Trump was also often seen investing in and praising a specific company.
06:04The controversy increased when a paid service launched,
06:07letting users view truth social posts before others.
06:10This service provided top-tier users with faster access,
06:14but some criticized whether it was appropriate to link the messages of a national leader,
06:18which can serve as important diplomatic signals, to a commercial service.
06:22As the controversy grew, traditional allies and friendly nations
06:26started to question their trust in U.S. policymaking and its leader's statements.
06:31President Trump's blunt speaking style and unpredictable actions were seen as strong leadership by supporters,
06:37but viewed as causing uncertainty internationally.
06:40However, the problem is that these actions could also affect America's long-term national prestige.
06:45The reason the United States has been able to maintain its global influence
06:48is not only because of its overwhelming military and economic power,
06:52but also because of the alliance network formed around the U.S.
06:54The United States has played a leading role in the international order
06:57by building security cooperation with various countries,
07:00and the support of its allies has been an important foundation for maintaining American influence.
07:04President Trump has argued that in past wars fought by the U.S.,
07:07its allies did not do enough.
07:08However, in actual history, many allies and friendly nations provided troops,
07:13supplies, and diplomatic cooperation during major U.S. military operations.
07:17In 1991, during the Gulf War, the United States formed a multinational force,
07:21and several countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Saudi Arabia,
07:24participated both militarily and economically.
07:27During the Iraq War, allied countries joined operations with the U.S.,
07:30and in the controversial Vietnam War, nations like South Korea, Australia, and Thailand also supported the U.S.
07:36Of course, not all of the United States' military interventions have been evaluated the same way internationally,
07:41and even among its allies, there were various opinions about whether to participate.
07:45However, it is hard to deny that one of the reasons the United States has maintained its influence
07:49in the international community for such a long time is because there have been countries
07:53that acted alongside the United States.
07:55President Trump focused on the costs and losses to the United States instead of the value of these alliances.
08:01He noted that allied countries benefit from America's security and insisted they pay more of the costs,
08:06and in some remarks, he suggested that these allies were placing economic and security burdens on the United States.
08:12This message was supported at home as prioritizing national interests,
08:17but abroad, it was viewed as weakening the long-standing U.S. alliance system.
08:22Trust between countries takes a long time to build, but the problem is that it can collapse in an instant.
08:27It's not that previous U.S. administrations were foolish for supporting their allies and friendly nations.
08:32You need countries that build and support trust in order to maintain hegemony.
08:35We'll have to wait and see what President Trump does in the future,
08:39but his current actions will ultimately undermine America's long-term national interests.
Comments